The Beach
by B.Lehnsherr
Summary: It's been an year since Charles got into the accident that caused him to be on a wheelchair. He's still fighting depression and his insecurities when Raven decides they should get away from New York. It's on an exotic resort in Brazil, that he meets a handsome german named Erik, and falls for him. *happy ending*
1. Chapter 1

When Charles first saw _him_ he had been staying at the resort for only a day, which meant he still hadn't explored around a lot and wasn't yet familiar with the surroundings.

He had just rolled inside the only elevator on the establishment, - the whole place full of stairs everywhere - and pressed the button to his level when a man on jeans pants and a long-sleeved button down shirt stepped in, pulling with him his baggage.

Charles' mouth hung immediately open upon seeing such _beautiful_ human being with chiseled jaw, straight nose and thin lips. He was tall with broad shoulders and the narrowest waist Charles had ever seen, that ratio shouldn't even be possible!

The stranger's hair was dark blonde but his scruff was ginger, making Charles and his infinite love for genetics wonder about the man's genes and where he was from. Was he a brazilian? Somehow his closed off expression didn't strike him as being one, since all the natives Charles had met so far had been more than cheerful and friendly.

Still, even with the closed off expression he was completely delectable and it made Charles lick his lips to only _look_ at him inside the lift.

The stranger glanced at Charles and nodded his head curtly to acknowledge his presence. His eyes were impossible to describe, being a mix of blue-green-grey wonder and Charles was surprised that there was no flash of pity on his gaze, which was a rarity these days.

The doors to the elevator closed and Charles was filled with a need to extinguish the silence with his incessant talking, even if the stranger didn't seem so inclined to engage on any conversation.

He was about to open his mouth and give friendly advice, like since the man was obviously just getting there he should stay away from pants and long sleeved shirts, Brazil being too fucking hot for those, especially at the litoral, when the man's phone ringed.

He reached inside the back pocket of his jeans for the object and Charles followed the motion, first being distracted by those long fingers with clean nails that did things to him he could barely explain, and then, he was distracted by a perfect round ass, and really, being in a wheelchair had it's perks since he was face to… Ass.

Swallowing down around a lump on his throat, Charles scolded himself for staring at the stranger so much and letting his thoughts get the best of him. It just had been too long since he had had any, - since before the accident, to be more precise - and Dark, Tall and Handsome there wouldn't want anything with Pale, Short and Crippled here.

He breathed in and out to calm himself and not be pulled in by the man's beauty when the _son of a bitch_ started talking and Charles was fucking lost. He had a low, raspy and somewhat rough voice that made all hairs of his body stand, making him imagine how the man would sound lost in pleasure, moaning and whispering into Charles' ear.

On top of that, the man wasn't speaking english or portuguese. He was speaking german which was something Charles had never realised how hot it sounded. Maybe it was just _that_ man saying it, but the language sounded positively filthy in his ears.

An year ago, before his accident, Charles would have been all over this man already. He didn't know if he liked men or not, but Charles would have done anything to find out. Straight or gay he would have gotten the man in his bed at least twice before the end of this trip.

The timing sucked and Charles sunk back at his hole of self-pitying and loathe, listening to the other man speaking so smoothly a language Charles used to think sounded harsh and rough. He couldn't understand a thing but it was just as well. He could pretend the only reason he wouldn't hit on the man, that walked straight out of a magazine or Charles' wet dreams, was that they didn't speak the same language and couldn't communicate.

The elevator stopped at Charles' level and he was ready to wheel out when he realised the man had positioned his luggage right in the way of Charles getting out and he couldn't as well step around it, could he? At least there was something about the man he could hate.

He was reaching out to struggle with the case and get it out of his way, when Dark, Tall and Handsome looked back at him and realised his luggage was on the way. He was still on the phone and used his free hand to get the case, sending Charles a small, apologetic smile. The smile didn't show his teeth but it showed cute wrinkles around his eyes and mouth that he seemed too young to have, and Charles lost his reason to hate him. He had been considerate and gorgeous.

' _Fuck life'_ , Charles thought as he wheeled himself out of the elevator and away from the german man.

During dinner that night, Charles sat across from Raven and was telling her everything about the stranger on the elevator. He told her how hot he was, how manly and handsome. He told her how good the man smelled and how amazing his voice sounded when he spoke in german and his sister listened closely, nodding and laughing.

"Oh, dear brother! I told you this trip would do you well", she said after he finished telling the tale about the elevator trip. He stopped the sadness from crossing his eyes because of her comments just in time, being reminded of why they were there.

After his accident, Charles had refused to leave the hospital until he could do it walking on his two feet. After a month of fighting with doctors, his sister and boyfriend he settled for leaving when he could wiggle his toes. That was when the boyfriend had snapped, saying he didn't sign up for this and that he tried to hang on for longer, but he couldn't do it anymore.

It had left him shattered, to lose his legs and the man he thought was the love of his life in such short period, but looking back now he was thankful for losing that man. He didn't want to spend his life with someone who would bail on him when something bad happened, that was not what love was.

He had been depressed afterwards and left the hospital only because he didn't have it in him to fight anymore and his sister moved him back to his home without a word of complaint from him. His house had been different then. All the shelves had been taken off and replaced by cupboards he could reach, the counter had been shrunk and many other adjustments had been made to accommodate him and his new life style. He stayed in bed for half an year.

Raven snapped after those six months and somehow her breakdown was enough to bring Charles back a little. After she left, he lifted himself from bed and shaved his beard, cut his own hair, took a shower. He started to get used to his wheelchair and now he could control it perfectly, only having a few problems from time to time and even got used to doing normal things again, like preparing himself a cup of tea, cooking breakfast and getting the mail outside.

Four months later he was completely settled in his house, but he was still stuck to it, too afraid to leave and face the real world, see the people he used to know and now looked at him with sadness.

Raven had dragged him to a trip to the grocery shop and Charles had bumped into an old acquaintance. He had met the man at college and they had shamelessly flirted with each other back then, never leading to anywhere. This time though, when he saw Charles in the wheelchair it was like he didn't think Charles was a man anymore. He talked to him like his injury was mental and there was no flirting tone on voice or innuendos on his words. He just couldn't see Charles like that anymore.

That encounter had set him back and Charles had started to get depressed again, not wanting to leave his bed or do anything else for two months.

His position at the college he taught was still being held for him, but he knew he would never come back there since he didn't want anyone pitying him the way his old colleague had. The only thing that stopped him from calling and quit was the fact that Raven had burst in his house and was shouting at him yet again.

That time though, she was telling him how the world was unfair and how people were stupid and that they would get away from New York for a week, have a nice vacation somewhere far and forget about everyone, - which had been one of her friend's idea. He had found out two days later that her boyfriend Azazel had broken up with her because of her crippled brother and how much energy he demanded. The guilt was still threatening to swallow him whole.

"Well, seeing a hot man does make my mood better", he finally answered her, pulling himself back from his dark thoughts. "You should talk to him!", she said after she finished chewing on her pasta and swallowed it.

It was funny how they were in Brazil, sitting on a Italian restaurant and eating pasta instead of trying the local food. They just weren't in the mood for trying anything new they could possibly hate, so they had just settled for what they knew it was good, for the security they were both in desperate need of.

"He doesn't speak english", Charles answered as if that was the only reason why he wouldn't talk to the man. "Sex is a language everyone knows how to speak, Charles", she said with a wink that made him roll his eyes.

"I know that I am finding someone for sure! Rebound sex is always the answer", Raven commented and continued eating, the subject quickly changing after the mention of her breakup.

The next day found Charles sitting in front of the bar, nursing a Piña Colada. The bar stools were too high for him to transfer to them and so was the counter, which made Charles feel like a child and sulk a little.

Raven was inside the pool, happily chatting with two men she had met and laughing at their jokes, touching their arms and shoulders at every opportunity, flirting her way into one of their beds, or maybe both. Charles sighed from where he was seated, mourning the loss of his opportunities like that, mourning each hot man he saw passing by him and didn't have the courage to approach only to be looked down in pity.

He didn't need anyone looking at him like he wasn't a proper man just because he couldn't walk, didn't want men to talk to him only to entertain him and make them feel better about themselves. But he did miss terribly charming his way into a man's embrace, getting kissed like he was the biggest prize of the place and fucked like there was no tomorrow.

Sighing again, he took another large gulp of his drink and put it over the counter, wanting to wave another bartender to get one more drink but not being able to get any of their attentions, sitting so low. Charles felt frustration creeping up on him and even though it was only his third day of the trip, he was definitely starting to miss his home and his bed that was already shaped like him.

Giving up on getting another drink for now, he looked for his sister only to see that she was getting out of the pool and walking towards him, shamelessly showing off her new bikini that was too small for Charles' taste.

"Hey, big brother. Are you sure you don't want to swim?", she asked and Charles rolled his eyes at her, annoyed that she was still not letting go of that idea. He did not want to use the special, crippled chair that one of the pools offered, - Raven had made sure it was accessible before they went - because he just knew everyone was waiting and watching for him to do that.

It was an ugly chair that seemed too uncomfortable, where he would transfer himself to and when turned on, the chair would lower itself inside the pool and that was it. Bam! Swimming. Except not! He would be bound into that chair only for what? To watch people having fun more closely? Charles did not plan on ruining any of his memories swimming by doing that, he owed himself respect. And it was also humiliating.

Of course he didn't tell her all of that, and simply turned back to the bar to get himself that damned drink, saying "You know I don't want to use that awful chair", knowing full well she would start explaining how she could carry him in or find a strong man to do so making the whole situation considerably more embarrassing.

But if she did say something or not, Charles did not know because he was distracted by that German God standing right there. He obviously didn't seem to be having a problem getting the attention of the bartender and Charles found himself rolling just a little closer to hear that smooth voice asking for a drink.

"Como posso te ajudar?"¹, the bartender asked him and Charles saw how he swallowed down before answering, his Adam's apple bobbing in the process, his beautiful, thin lips opening up to answer her and then Raven shook him by the shoulder.

"Hey! Charles! Are you hearing me?", she asked and the stranger turned his head to look at them both. Charles blushed immediately having their eyes locked. Did the man remember him from the elevator? Probably not. Probably yes since Charles was the only guy in a wheelchair, but you get the point!

"Uhh sorry, Raven, it's just..", he trailed off looking away from Dark, Tall and Handsome and towards his sister. "Are they not taking your order? I'm going to kick some ass!", she exclaimed already seeming offended and Charles wasn't able to stop the wave of warmth that took over him when she said that.

"No, no, it's not that", he lied and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Really. Hm.. you know this guy standing here? He's the guy from the elevator I told you about", he revealed and Raven looked at him, mouth hanging slightly open. "Charles, he's right here, he can hear you!", she said, making him shake his head "He can't speak english, remember? He's german", he told her.

"Oh… he _is_ just as hot as you said he was", she then commented and Charles grinned, knowing full well he had impeccable taste in men. "I know, right. The things I would do to him", Charles said, only stopping himself from looking at the man and checking him out by sheer will.

"Yeah, now I know why he made such an impression on you", she agreed and Charles glanced a look at the stranger, seeing his gorgeous profile and that perfect, carved into marble jaw. He seemed to be smirking, his eyes kind of glowing with something there and the expression suited him just as well as the closed off one Charles had seen before.

Charles was inexplicably jealous of the bartender who was probably the cause of that little, enticing grin and sighed once again at the unfairness of life.

He looked back at Raven and she wiggled her eyebrows at him, making Charles narrow his eyes. "Alright, fine. Don't talk to him then. I'm going to go back to the pool because there are people waiting for me there", she winked at him and turned back around.

When Charles looked to where the gorgeous german had been just a second ago, there was no one else standing at the spot. Charles' heart sunk to the ground even though he hadn't planned on doing anything; he still wanted to enjoy the view.

"Sua bebida, senhor"², the bartender said and Charles looked at her, being ripped away from his thoughts. "I didn't order that", he said lamely even though he couldn't understand her. She smiled and _bless her_ , spoke in english next "That gentleman ordered it for you. Piña Colada, right?".

That gentleman? The german hottie? He ordered Charles' drink. The exact one he had been drinking before. Usually this was the point where he would be angry and want to find the man just to throw the drink on his face, because Charles didn't need his pity, didn't want his help. He was well capable of getting his own drink, thank you very much!

But the normal anger didn't come and the only reaction he had was to pick the drink up and sip on it, his insides melting because apart from being a fucking model, he was also a nice guy. Fuck life indeed.

* * *

On the following day, Erik got up from his hotel bed feeling rested for the first time in a long while. Work had been wearing him out but he had only agreed to go on vacations because his business partner Emma had threatened him to do so. She had claimed he was on the verge of causing a heart attack on the staff that worked for him and while he thought she was exaggerating, she pointed out he had made two of them cry in a week.

It's not like he was a bad boss, he wasn't! He just wanted to make them achieve their full potential and be the good employees he knew they could be! He only had their best interest at heart, and yes, sometimes he could be harsh, but that's life! Those interns had to suck it up and deal with it so they could be the boss someday. It was all a matter of Erik trying to be helpful, you see.

He got up and dressed himself on a light, white shirt and khaki shorts, completing the 'vacations' look with sandals. Fucking sandals. He felt like the blonde robot he had seen on the movie last night, that always walked around on ridiculous sandals. But this was his time to relax, there was no one in here to see him not looking sharp and bossy, so it was fine.

Walking the long way to the restaurant where they served breakfast, Erik observed how gorgeous and fancy the resort was. He wouldn't have spent that much money on the trip, but Emma had already set everything up when she cornered him and Erik had only followed her orders.

He couldn't bring himself to resent her when he walked in the restaurant and quickly spotted the cute brit he had seen for the first time in the elevator. It was like Erik's eyes had been drawn to him the moment he stepped in there and he couldn't explain why. He thought it was rather amusing that the man assumed he couldn't speak english and how he had told his sister about Erik being 'hot'.

Not that Erik didn't agree with him, he did have a nice body and maybe a handsome face, but he usually scared people and they tried to stay away from his 'sharky' smile. Emma said he looked like he was going to murder someone 24/7 so it was quite a shock to hear the blue-eyed man saying he would do _things_ to Erik. Things he really wouldn't mind being done to him at all, seeing that the other man was quite gorgeous and had a sinful accent.

Erik was just passing by the man's table when he looked up, those incredibly blue eyes zeroing on Erik and making him feel like his soul was exposed. The man's eyes went round when he was recognized and Erik couldn't help but smile at him.

It was a closed lips smile, but it still reached his eyes and probably made the skin around his eyes wrinkle with it. The brit's lips parted revealing beautiful, white teeth, but he didn't return the smile, he just sat there staring like he was shocked.

The moment was over too quickly when he finished walking by and reached the buffet. The line wasn't too big and he stood there behind a blonde girl, who he quickly recognized as Charles' sister. What was her name? Raven? Yeah, Raven.

He looked at the food being offered and felt adventurous enough to try the ones he didn't usually see in New York, - like something called _pão de queijo -_ piling up one of each and actually enjoying the fact he was eating a proper breakfast since he usually only drank coffee before work.

He was spooked by a loud sound of something falling to the floor next to his feet, a _knife_ that could have cut off a toe since he was wearing those fucking sandals.

"Oh God! I'm so sorry! Shit, crap, you don't even know what I'm saying.. Hmm.. Bitte? Does that mean sorry?", Raven started to babble and blushed furiously.

Erik chuckled gently and kneeled down to pick up the knife, - only because she was Charles' sister, really - and answered her when he handed the knife.

"No, that does not mean 'sorry', but I forgive you anyway", he said and Raven's eyes widened, her mouth falling open. "Y-You speak english!", she exclaimed, shock written all over her face.

"Guilty", Erik grinned "Will you tell your brother?", he asked because he honestly didn't want Charles to know yet, but at the same time he hoped that if the man knew, they could talk and maybe even hit it off.

"Of course I'm telling him! You're making a fool out of Charles", Raven answered upset and looked ready to turn around and tell her brother about her discovery, making Erik suddenly scared that if she did, Charles would think the same and be mad at him. Should it matter, though? They didn't even know each other! But somehow it did.

"No, I'm not, he just… Assumed", he explained to her, but she shook her head "You could have said something!" - "I know, I guess I was just.. Flattered", Erik blushed and what the fuck was happening to him?

It was like Raven deflated out of the sudden when she heard his words and she breathed out a small "Oh", looking at him with curious eyes, studying his face to search if he was being honest or not. She nodded slowly and then a smile cut through her face, her cheerful mood back on.

"Do you plan on telling him?", she asked, eyes sparkling and starting to pick food again. "That I can speak english, yeah. I'd like to talk to him, he seems… nice", Erik offered, not knowing what he could say about the stranger.

"He's the best! He is so smart and funny! He's got the worst pick up lines and he's so kind and caring. You'll love him, I swear! I mean… I'm not saying it in any sort of way, even if it's just as friends, Charles is still the best", she said and Erik could clearly see how much love there was between the siblings and he really wished he had someone that cared that much about him.

He probably did. Emma and Azazel were really good friends, they just showed it in a different way, which was why it sometimes seemed like they didn't love each other. But they did.

"I bet he is", Erik grinned "And I will tell him soon, I promise" - "It's fine. He probably wouldn't have the guts to tell you half the things he says if he knew you could understand", she shrugged and with a wink, walked away from the buffet and towards her table with Charles.

Erik finished serving his food and sat by himself, thoroughly enjoying how it all tasted but wishing he had someone to share them with. Say, someone with incredibly red lips that would wrap around the fork like they would wrap around Erik's-. Shit.

It was not his fault that Charles had the reddest lips he had ever seen, was it?

* * *

"Isn't it sad that he's sitting there all by himself?", Charles sighed as he ate breakfast with Raven. He could perfectly watch the stranger from where he was sitting and he was not about to miss that opportunity.

Raven looked at him like she was hiding the world's biggest secrets and smiled "Why don't you go keep him company?", she asked and Charles widened his eyes "Are you crazy? We can't even talk", he answered when in truth, he just didn't think the hot german in a resort in Brazil would want to talk to the awkward brit in a wheelchair. That's how things worked.

"But you can babble! You're great at that you know. You can just talk to fill the silence", she said but Charles just shook his head. "Really, Raven. I won't", he said and she narrowed her eyes "Stupid thick-headed bastard", she muttered before focusing on her breakfast again.

Two hours later he and Raven found a good spot in front of the accessible pool, - in case he decided to go in - and he placed himself between two of the tables there. He watched his little sister go into the water and come back up for air, pushing her blonde hair back.

He looked around and quickly spotted the stranger from the elevator inside the pool, his stomach doing a funny flip and his breath getting caught on his throat. He was swimming. Which meant… Which meant there was a lot of skin exposed.

From where he was sitting he could see broad, strong shoulders and even the muscles on the man's back, Charles' mouth going immediately dry with the vision.

He was going to take off his shirt today and try to get a tan that wasn't shaped like his short sleeves but he suddenly felt too self conscious for that. The wheelchair had helped him get more muscle on his arms but he hadn't been in it for _that_ long so he had developed a small belly that wasn't at all attractive and way too visible when he was sitting - which was all the time.

Charles was being stupid. The german wouldn't even notice he was without a shirt and even if he did, Charles wasn't supposed to care. He was who he was and he had much more to be ashamed of apart from a small belly.

Grabbing the back of the shirt he pulled it over his head and placed it on the table Raven had picked, reaching for the bottle of sunblock to protect his too-white skin.

Charles smeared it over his arms, his freckled shoulders, chest and stomach. He was focused on his task, avoiding looking at the hot man swimming too many times and he missed the stranger coming out of the pool and walking towards him.

Charles did look up when the man was too close though and he was sure he had looked at him with curiosity but then he noticed the man was walking past him and blushed for his own stupidity. He wasn't going too far though, sitting on a chair that belonged to the table right next to Charles'. He hadn't even noticed there was a towel there until now.

Charles looked away not wanting to stare at his _literally_ wet dream too much, not wanting to focus on every little drop of water running down that gorgeous body.

He busied himself with trying to put on the sunblock on his back but there wasn't much he could do, not being able to reach too far.

Then, he heard a deep, low chuckle coming from the direction the stranger was sitting in. He looked towards him, face red and confirmed what he thought; the man was laughing at him. But his face didn't looked mocking, just gently amused.

Charles gaped at him and couldn't bring himself to say anything even if it would have made a difference. The man got up then and walked towards Charles, eyes incredibly warm and face more than gorgeous.

He pointed at the sunblock, - _God,_ those fingers made Charles tremble - and cocked his head as if he was asking a question. All Charles could do was nod dumbly and stretch his arm, giving the bottle to the man.

He picked it up and poured a nice quantity on his big hand, frictioning one against the other, warming it up a little and then walked around the chair, standing behind Charles. He tried leaning forward as much as he could to expose more of his back and soon two hands were pressed against his skin, fingers curling around his shoulders.

"Oh, _fuck",_ Charles bursted out and then bit his lip to stop himself from moaning because well… Moaning was universal and the man didn't need to speak the same language to understand it. He would think Charles was such a creep! One small touch to his back and he was already turned into a puddle.

But it was not everyday that he was touched by such a gorgeous man, and he hadn't had any sort of contact with anyone apart from doctors and his sister in a year. He couldn't be blamed for wanting to lean closer and meowl, press himself against the gentle yet firm touch and even turn his head and kiss the arm that was so close.

He did turn his head and watched how the veins stood out from the man's arm, something he had always found a turn on, and he also noticed the thin, blonde hairs there, his insides turning liquid.

Then he started moving, spreading the sunblock all over Charles' back in small circles, almost like he was giving him a massage instead of applying sunblock to a stranger. It was too much and too little, and Charles thought ' _fuck it'_ , it's not like the man would know what he was saying anyway.

"Christ, your hands", he said, eyes rolling back and then closing with the sheer pleasure of being touched by someone again, a person who had no trace of pity whenever he looked at Charles. A hot man that had fucking smiled at him at breakfast while he just sat there like an idiot.

The man finished his back way too fast for Charles' taste and when those hands left him he missed them terribly. It was like he was touch starved for that stranger.

He walked back to stand in front of Charles, cleaning up the rest of the sunblock on his own, strong arms. It was only then that Charles noticed he was wearing red swim trunks and nothing else. He had light abs that could be seen moving under his skin and strong thighs that looked like sin. The man was sex on legs.

"Thank you, my friend", Charles said, wanting to fill up the silence so it wouldn't be awkward "Do you want me to do you? I mean… Not.. Not sexually, I meant the uh.. Sunblock. Not that I wouldn't _do_ you! God knows I would, you're like my wet dream walking around! You just wouldn't do me, obviously! Shit, I'm shutting up now".

He closed his mouth and blushed scarlet red, pointing at the sunblock and then at the stranger. He smiled widely, this huge smile that showed all his teeth and made his skin wrinkle around the eyes and on the top of his nose. It was _gorgeous_ and it left Charles out of breath.

He nodded and then sat on a plastic chair, back turned towards Charles. His back was broad, muscles shifting there and lovely freckles on his shoulders, - like Charles' own. He also had a cute mole on his back and was radiating warmth because of the hot, sunny day.

Charles poured the sunblock and started doing the same as the stranger had done to him. It was weird calling him 'stranger' or 'german guy', he had his hands all over the man's broad back after all and they should at least know each other's name.

"Uh.. I'm Charles", he said after a moment, gathering his courage. "You?", he asked hoping the man at least grasped what he was saying, but since he had said his name, it sounded pretty obvious to him.

"Erik", came the answer on that low voice that sent shivers down Charles' spine. "Erik", he repeated, tasting the name on his tongue and the other man looked back over his shoulder with another beautiful smile, repeating his name "Charles".

God, his name had always sounded too british and common for him but when Erik said it, it sounded like sex. It sounded like the filthiest porn and Charles just wanted to hear it in the depths of passion.

He finished spreading the sunblock and tapped him on the shoulder to signalise that, the man turning around and looking at Charles somewhat sheepishly and then he winked. He _winked_ at Charles and it looked like everything had turned slow motion when Erik blinked only one of those beautiful green-blue-grey eyes, a shy smile and then got up from the chair, going back to his own table and lying down on the stretching chair, to get sun tanned.

Charles sat there for a little while, wondering if he should wheel closer to that model and just babble the afternoon away, wanting the company. Erik had seemed friendly enough so maybe he wouldn't mind.

Looking at the pool, though, he saw Raven in there smirking at him and felt discouraged to make any moves.

The next day, Charles was already placed close to the table Raven had picked while his sister was on the spa, getting a massage. He was surprised when Erik came closer and sat on the plastic chair next to him.

"Good morning", Charles grinned at him and looked at the beautiful man sideways. He was still completely dressed in his clothes and only smiled as an answer.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't? It's so hot, though! I wish I could just go in the pool and swim, feel the cold water on my toes. I didn't know I was lucky to have that until it was taken away from me… Wow, I got a little depressing here. Thank God you can't understand me, it's like I lost my mobility _and_ ability to flirt! I suppose I can train with you, you know", he babbled with a smile.

Erik was studying him with his eyes, maybe trying to guess what Charles was saying. What if they used google translator? Maybe did some drawings or something. At least they would communicate.

But Charles did like speaking and if Erik wanted to say something he would suggest it, wouldn't he?

Before he could think any further, the silence had already stretched and Erik got up from the chair, stripping from his white shirt and then pulling his shorts down, revealing the same red swimming trunk.

"Shit, it is not fair that you walk around looking like this! I just want… To put my hands all over you", Charles said and for a second, there was something flashing over Erik's eyes, some kind of darkness that clouded his eyes filled with lust, but he had to be imagining it, right? He couldn't possibly be thinking on the same lines or even had understood Charles.

Erik winked at him and turned around, in a few, long steps he was at the border of the pool and jumped in, stretching both arms in front of him and going in like an arrow.

Charles rolled closer to the pool and locked the chair there so it wouldn't wheel itself into the water and shame him completely. He saw Erik coming up for air, shaking his head and throwing the water out of his hair. When he turned around and looked at Charles, a huge, sharky smile that lit up his entire face, formed on his lips.

He swam closer and stopped at the border right in front of Charles, looking up to him through his wet lashes that were stuck together, looking even thicker and darker. It was gorgeous and the breath was knocked out of Charles' lungs.

"God, you're beautiful", he whispered mesmerized by him. Erik's wet hands came out of the pool and wrapped around Charles' shins. One look told him the hands were there and were wetting his feet. Charles would give _anything_ to feel those big hands wrapped around his legs and he would have also felt really self conscious and angry when someone apart from the doctor touched him there, but somehow it felt… Thrilling.

It meant Erik didn't see his legs as a dead part of him that were supposed to be avoided at all costs or weren't worth being touched and worshiped like any other part of Charles' body.

He was feeling things he never thought he would feel again as he sat there in front of Erik, and he wanted, - _needed -_ those lips on him and those hands touching other parts of his body.

Charles was going to try. Sex was an universal language Erik _had_ to understand and if he flirted, touched him and looked at him just the right way, maybe he could get the man to be interested too. Maybe they could kiss and touch and feel. Because even after only three days, he trusted Erik like he trusted Raven.

"Here are your drinks, sir", a bartender approached them, - speaking in english, bless him!. When Charles looked, there were two Piña Coladas in there and he looked curiously at Erik who was smiling and reaching for his. The bartender waited for Charles to grab his own drink and he was charmed that Erik had ordered it for them beforehand.

He took a sip, looking at Erik from behind the glass, but the bartender didn't move away. "We were wondering if you want your room to be cleaned up today, Mr. Erik", the man asked and Charles guessed bartending wasn't his only job at the resort. He was about to open his mouth to tell the poor man he wasn't being understood, when the deep voice answered from inside the pool and made shivers run down Charles' spine.

"Yes, please", Erik had said and what? How did he understand the other man? Charles looked down at him with wide eyes and after the bartender left, Erik shrugged. There was a tick on his jaw that showed he was feeling rather nervous and then he murmured coyly "You just assumed, I… Didn't know what to say".

Charles gaped at him, his feelings messy and unreadable, but the embarrassment strong on top of them all.

* * *

Erik stared at Charles still from inside the pool and waited for the man's reaction. He didn't know what had compelled him to reveal the truth now and like this, but he didn't want to pretend anymore. He wanted to hold a conversation with the blue-eyed beauty and invite him for dinner, wanted to get to know him and maybe even exchange phone numbers or facebooks.

He should have expected of course, that Charles would react poorly about finding out he had been deceived for three days and wouldn't be exactly happy that Erik had heard each time he paid him a compliment or said something about wanting to do him.

There were many emotions crossing through his eyes now but he seemed mostly embarrassed, his cheeks burning bright, mouth hanging slightly open.

"Charles… I know I should have told you before but-" - "You speak english", the man cut him off with his statement and Erik just nodded.

"You speak english and you let me babble on and on for days without telling me to stop! I said… I said.. Oh God!", he exclaimed mortified and unlocked his wheelchair, turning it around a little uncoordinated and wheeling away.

Erik easily lifted his body out of the pool, water dripping off of him as he tried to reach Charles. "Charles, please don't be mad, I didn't mean to embarrass you or make a fool out of you", he said but the other man just seemed to be trying to wheel himself away faster without succeeding and it wasn't fair of Erik to impose his presence just because he could easily keep up.

He stopped walking then, and watched the back of Charles' head while he wheeled himself away. It felt like there was something weird knotting inside his chest, this heavy weight of guilt and this sense of just having screwed up.

For some reason he didn't want to think he had disappointed or hurt that man he had just met, but already considered… A friend? He was definitely someone Erik would like to keep in touch with after the vacations were over and each of them went their way, and that was saying _a lot_ of how Erik felt about him.

There was also the part where Erik wouldn't mind in the least kissing those bright red lips and running his hands through the soft, hazelnut hair. He wanted to sit on Charles' lap and kiss him breathless, make his face messy and flushed. Wanted to rub off against him and mark his pale skin in all of those hidden places.

Right now, though, he would settle for the man to just speak to him.

* * *

1- 'How can I help you?'

2- 'Your drink, sir'

N/A : Hey guys! So, this is a fanfiction made only by me, there's no roleplay with my friend! It's quite short and I'll be posting the next chapters soon! Let me know what you think?


	2. Chapter 2

Charles kept moving until he reached his hotel room. He picked the card from inside his shorts and swiped it on the door, unlocking and pushing it open. He wheeled himself inside and just when the door was closed and he was safe, he let himself relax.

He breathed out, his entire body deflating and resting on the chair like he couldn't keep himself upright anymore, thoughts running wild inside his head. Erik could speak fucking english. He had understood everything Charles had said and yet he didn't tell him the truth! He made a fool out of Charles! No, Charles made a fool of himself for just assuming and never even asking if there was any language they could communicate in.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

He was just making fun of the idiotic crippled who had a crush on him. And he was probably loving the attention but pitying Charles at the same time. He was probably amused that the handicap had wanted him but would never get anything out of it.

Charles didn't know how long he just sat there letting himself fall into that hole of sadness and self-pity but he was ripped out of it when the door opened and hit his chair because he had never wheeled himself away from it.

"Charles? What happened? One minute you were there with Erik and then suddenly you were gone and he looked like someone had kicked his puppy!", Raven exclaimed and patiently waited for him to get away from the door so she could open it properly and go inside.

Charles let out a breath and turned the chair around to face her. "He can speak english", he said ripping off the band-aid at once. She didn't seem surprised thought. Her "Oh", didn't sound like she had just gotten brand new information and Charles frowned at her.

"So you know", she commented looking around the room but at Charles, and his mouth fell open. What the fuck? "What the fuck?", he repeated out loud, feeling angry. "You knew? And you didn't tell me? You let that complete stranger make fun of me?", he yelled at her, placing all the anger towards Erik, the world, the accident, his useless legs, on top of her.

"Woah, calm down, Charles! It's not like that", Raven shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing around. "Then how is it, huh? I just made a complete fool of myself!" - "Why? Because you told him exactly how you felt about him without knowing he could understand you? Charles…", she sighed and came closer, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Look, big brother… Before the accident you'd have been all over him. You'd have flirted shamelessly, used your ridiculous pick up lines and you'd end up at his bed because you always get what you want. But now… Now you're scared and you're shy. It was a great thing that you thought he couldn't understand you. It was an exercise for you!", she exclaimed, but Charles was taking none of that.

"And how was he supposed to know that? He should have told me, Raven!", he countered and she nodded "He should. I'm not saying he's right here, I'm just saying… You're on a different continent, Charles. You'll never see him again in two days… why not enjoy it? He's clearly into you as well and that could do wonders! You could just.. learn yourself all over again with him and be ready for dating and pursuing someone you can keep for the rest of your life once we're back in new york. Just think about it", she smiled, but Charles just gaped at her.

"You want me to use him? And what do you mean he's into me?", he asked not knowing which one of those questions was more pressing right now. She sighed and looked him dead in the eyes. "I'm not telling you to use anyone. He would be getting _you,_ wouldn't he? That's a win-win. And he does, you know. The day I found out he could speak english he asked me not to tell you because he wanted to do it himself and he said… he said he was flattered by the things you were telling him. I don't know. He doesn't strike me as a talker, maybe he wouldn't even say much if you knew he could speak english. And Charles, I saw you two by the pool today and he… He was holding your shins. You never let anyone apart from the doctors to touch your legs and your ex didn't even come close to them after the accident. Erik seems decent enough for me. He respects you and that's what matters to me. You shouldn't be mad at him. Or be. Make him apologise and then you see what's next".

Charles just looked at his sister, his eyes wide and mouth hanging up. She had a perfect point. Erik was the gorgeous stranger in another continent whom he would never see again in two days.

He was the first man who had truly looked at Charles since his accident and he didn't seem any bothered by it. That usual pity didn't cross his expression when they were together and it didn't seem like he was always thinking of what Charles couldn't do anymore.

He had accepted and respected Charles completely and according to Raven he was even interested, no matter his disability. Erik did lie, though. Or withheld information, whatever, but Charles had also made a fool of himself for not even asking once. All in all, it seemed like he could only win by letting this small thing go.

Of course there was still the fact he was embarrassed and rightfully mad, but it wasn't anything an apology and dinner couldn't fix.

"You're right", Charles said looking up at her and she grinned widely. "Of course I am! Now, let's go enjoy our last days of vacations, I don't want you sulking around"

They lingered in the pool after that, Raven swimming inside and drinking one of each option they were offering on the menu, while Charles tanned his torso, not being as red as he had been on the first days anymore. Sad thing was, Erik was long gone when they came back, no trace of his towel or belongings.

It was only on lunchtime that Charles spotted him again. He was sitting by himself hunched forward, a cross expression on his face. It was the same one he had been using on his first day and he didn't seem so relaxed right now.

"It really is a pity that he eats alone, isn't it?", Charles asked, biting on his bottom lip and wondering if his choice of letting this slip was the right one. He would never see Erik again so what the hell? "I'm going over there", he said and picked his plate, putting it on his lap.

"Want some help with that?", Raven asked and pointed with her chin, making Charles shake his head. "It's fine", he answered and prayed his food wouldn't spill on his white shorts while he wheeled himself closer to Erik's table. His sister gave him an encouraging nod and Charles started moving.

When he reached his destination, he stopped and put his plate on top of the wood surface, Erik looking at him with a surprised expression. Charles wished he was sitting across from the other man but there was a chair there and parking on the corridor, next to Erik was the best he could do.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest and narrowing his eyes, Charles said "You owe me an apology", falling into his old, confident self seeming like the easiest thing when he was close to this stranger.

Erik's face changed completely then, brightening up impossibly and breathtakingly, like he already considered himself forgiven. Which he was. But he shouldn't be so cocky and that annoyed Charles. "You know what? I guess not", he said, narrowing his eyes even further and making a move to grab his plate again.

Erik's hand quickly darted up, holding his wrist and then softly sliding up his palm and cradling his fingers like something precious. He looked up then, breath knocked out of his lungs by the tender touch and locked eyes with Erik. "I am truly sorry, Charles. It wasn't my intention to embarrass or make a fool out of you. I rather thought I'd make a fool of myself if I started talking to you", he said and the honesty was so striking that it made Charles shiver.

"H-how come?", he stuttered a little and the other man let go of his hand, making it feel cold. He got up and walked around Charles, removing that chair so he could park himself across from Erik like he had wanted in first place. He came back to his seat and waited for Charles to settle down before he spoke.

"You're beautiful and I tend to push people away for not being very… Nice", he said and even _blushed_ when Charles was being the one complimented by one of the most gorgeous men he had ever seen.

"You're nice enough to me", Charles heard himself answer, cheeks flushing red and eyes looking away from Erik. He heard the man chuckling gently and then say on that low, seductive tone of his "I guess I'm different on vacations, then. Or it could be you", he flirted, making Charles' palms sweat.

Ok, he could do this. He _wanted_ this. He would embarrass himself so much if this came to sex at some point and while he certainly hoped it _would_ come to that, he was also scared of disappointing Erik. He looked up, meeting the green-grey-blue eyes and smiled cheekily "I bring out the best in people", he affirmed.

Erik's grin was sharky-like, all his teeth showing and skin wrinkling on the corner of his eyes. They went back to their lunches, talking idly about every subject Charles could think of now that the man was actually participating on the conversation and revealing he was well educated and polite. Charles wanted to make out with him on top of the buffet.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?", Erik asked when they were done eating and Charles beamed at him "I would adore to, Erik", he answered charmingly and felt that delicious, nervous feeling settling on his stomach. He loved the anticipation.

The wait was painful for Charles, but the time soon came when Erik was knocking on his hotel room. Charles whimpered and Raven laughed at him, telling him to relax.

He had dressed up lightly since it was too hot for fancy, but his clothes were still good enough to impress and he had fixed his hair to perfection. Wheeling himself to the door, he took one last deep breath and pulled it open.

Erik was wearing shorts and a t-shirt as always, but had put on a white sneaker that made him look well dressed. He was so gorgeous that Charles would have thought himself lucky even if he could still walk. Maybe even more lucky since he would get the chance to climb that man and wrap legs around that narrow waist.

He smiled at Charles wholeheartedly, all teeth showing and skin wrinkling. "Good evening, Charles. You look… Breathtaking", Erik said, making his stomach flutter and his cheeks tint red. "You don't look bad yourself", he answered dreamily, looking up to meet eyes with the other man.

"Ready to go?", Erik asked, a little of nervousness resonating on his voice, matching Charles' sweating palms. "Yes", he answered and wheeled himself out of the room, yelling a goodbye to his sister.

There were _many_ things Charles had considered when he thought of dating again. Sex would be hard. Kissing the person whenever he wanted would be hard. Chasing his loved one when they fought would be hard. But he hadn't considered he would want to hold the person's hand and wouldn't be able to because he needed both hands to wheel himself. It _sucked_ and it frustrated him to no end that he just couldn't.

By the time they reached the restaurant he almost felt like crying and for the first time ever he wasn't babbling, which obviously worried his date.

"Is everything okay? Did I do something?", Erik asked frowning, after an awkward moment of silence sitting across from each other and Charles immediately felt bad. He couldn't let his problem get in the way of his date.

"No, no, you're perfect", Charles answered and smiled, trying to brighten up again. "Then what happened? Are you nervous? I am a little as well", he said nicely and God, where had that man hidden all his life?

"No.. I mean, yes. It's not that and you didn't do anything I just… Wanted to hold your hand in the way and couldn't", he said blushing a little and feeling embarrassed. To his surprise, Erik's face broke into a grin and he put his hand on top of the table, palm turned up.

"That is really.. Cute", he said and when Charles slipped his hand on Erik's the other man's fingers curled around his, warm and a little rough.

Charles' mood increased incredibly and he smiled through the whole night, the food delicious, - they tried _feijão tropeiro -_ and company perfect. Their fingers were intertwined through it all even though it made it a little more difficult but they didn't care.

When they were finished eating, they shared dessert, Erik even feeding Charles once and getting his lips dirty with chocolate. The other man used the pad of his thumb to clean the corneR of Charles' mouth and then brought it to his own, sucking it clean. Charles was _this_ close to declaring eternal love to the german stranger by the end of dinner.

Erik had made him try the typical brazilian food and he even found himself regretting the fact he had avoided it on the previous days. He liked how the other man was challenging him to try new things and hoped that didn't stop there.

They walked side by side towards Charles' room again, one of Erik's hand warmly on his shoulder and the other one shoved into his own pocket. It felt nice and comforting to have that large palm there, even though Charles couldn't hold it while they moved, they were still touching.

His stomach started twisting and turning as he wondered if they would kiss goodnight. He felt like a silly teenager but for fuck's sake he hadn't kissed anyone in an year.

That question was pulled out of his mind when Erik suddenly stopped, when they were walking on the edge of a pool, the dark blue water of it so inviting on the hot night, the salt from the sea mixing with their sweat and clinging to their skins.

"Why don't we take a swim?", Erik asked then, looking down at him, eyes glinting in the moonlight. Chales' first reaction was a huge 'no', because he wouldn't ruin their perfect date by having to use the ridiculous special chair and just stay there.

"I uh… Didn't bring my trunks and a towel", he said as an excuse that was quickly brushed off by Erik "Neither did I", he said stripping off of his shirt and exposing that torso Charles wanted to snuggled up against.

"C'mon. You can't come here and not swim not even once", the other man said and Charles realised he must have heard when Raven chastised him for not enjoying his vacations.

"I can", Charles pressed his lips into a thin line, refusing to embarrass himself. Then, Erik surprised him once again by going on his knees and putting himself on the same level as Charles, saving him from craning his neck as he looked up to the other man.

"Would you tell me why not? Give me one good reason and I'll forget about it", he said sounding so reasonable that Charles could only look from one eye to another, pondering his answer.

He finally looked away, blush spreading through his cheeks, down his neck and chest. "The chair is stupid. Everyone keeps looking at me like they expect me to use it and just sit there submersed on the water and not doing anything", he finally said, ashamed of himself for being so useless.

Erik nodded understanding, hands finding a grip on Charles' knees even though he couldn't feel it. He could see the large palms spread over it and it was thrilling. "I didn't plan on you using the chair and there's no one here to see", he finally said, making Charles frown.

"Then what did you plan?", he asked puzzled but Erik just grinned at him, turning around and offering his back. He wanted to give Charles a piggy ride? That sounded… Humiliating. If someone else offered that, he would throw a fit that would make the person apologise for a year!

But it wasn't anyone else. It was Erik. Beautiful stranger who didn't pity Charles, who was out on a date with him even if he was a useless crippled and was _attracted_ to him even though Charles was confined to a chair forever. It didn't feel humiliating. It felt liberating that someone was offering him a way of enjoying himself and finally just swimming again.

He felt daring and adventurous, pulling his shirt off of his body and then leaning forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Erik's neck. The other man was smiling really widely when he looked over his shoulder and Charles was sure his grin was matching his.

Erik reached behind and grabbed Charles' legs, pulling them around his narrow waist and holding them there, probably with a very strong grip. "Ready?", he asked and Charles leaned his head against the other man's, whispering a nervous "Yes".

Erik got up then, wobbling a little on his feet and then proving how strong he was because he didn't drop Charles or his legs. He started walking towards the pool's stairs and Charles' grip started to get tighter and tighter the closer they got.

It was just like he imagined. Nothing. The water hit the tip of his toes as he watched it, but it was like he was still outside. And then it covered his shins, calves and thighs and Charles was so frustrated with himself almost falling into that pit of sadness and depression again.

That was until the water hit his hips and he hissed at the coldness on his so very warm skin. "You'll get used to it", Erik chuckled and kept going down the stairs until the water was all the way to Charles' chest and they were inside the pool.

It felt delicious. It was a lot like taking a bath but at the same time so very different. He heard himself laugh happily and saw Erik looking back over his shoulder once again, smiling at him.

"Hold my legs", Charles said as if it was necessary and started leaning backwards to float on the water. He couldn't go far though, knowing if he let go of his hold on Erik's body, he wouldn't come up again.

He pulled himself upright and asked Erik to let go. His legs gently fell from where they were being held and hung awkwardly there, while Charles used his arms to leverage himself and move until he was face to face with the other man.

It was incredible how quickly Erik catched up to his needs because then he picked Charles' legs again without him having to ask and Charles finally let go of his grip around Erik's neck, falling behind and floating on the pool.

His back hit the water and his hair turned wet when he laid there, arms outstretched as he just laughed delighted, looking up at the bright stars and huge, round moon. It was a gorgeous night.

Charles didn't know how long he stayed like that, feeling the cold water on the upper part of his body while Erik walked them around the pool and patiently waited, softly watching Charles move his arms, dip his hands underneath the surface and relish on the feeling. It was so close to freedom to him.

And it struck him. He was stuck there, on Erik's mercy. He couldn't move his legs and didn't know if he could keep himself above the surface if the other man let go but he still felt _free._

He moved then, arms stretching towards Erik and silently asking for help. The other man let go of one of Charles' legs and held his hand, pulling him up towards his body. Charles was quick to wrap both arms around the elegant neck and he felt Erik's big hand brushing his hair back out of his forehead and then moving down, cradling his cheek.

It was all Charles could take before surging forward and pressing their lips together. Charles' was wet against Erik's and the other man let out a surprised but yet pleased sound when they collided together.

Erik must have dropped his other leg because soon his arms were wrapping around Charles' waist and holding him even closer The other man's tongue licked Charles' bottom lip, incredibly warm against the wet pool water and Charles moaned.

He knew a lot about kissing but this… This was _electric._ He opened up to Erik's tongue, ready and pliant under the man's caring touch, letting their tongues curl around each other, explore every corner of their mouths and make each other moan, drinking all sounds.

" _God_ ", Charles breathed in the small second they parted and changed angles, meeting up for another kiss that was slow, deep and slick. He let his hand wander towards Erik's short hair and grip tight to the soft locks while the other man's own hand drifted upwards and his nails dug pleasantly between Charles' shoulder blades, scratching him lightly.

If he had already wanted to declare love for Erik before, that had been nothing compared to this right now. Right now he wanted to marry that man he would never see again in two days time.

"Senhores?"¹, they heard and broke apart dazed, looking towards the sound with blown pupils and plush lips. "Nós estamos limpando a piscina agora, vocês não podem nadar a noite"², the man said, making them frown.

"What?" Erik asked puzzled and the man gladly spoke english. Sort of. "Hm.. No swim in the night. We clean the pool", he said and they both understood, Charles blushing for trespassing and Erik grinning shamelessly.

"Sorry, we were already leaving", he said and the man nodded, walking away but not too much, to make sure they were actually leaving.

They turned back to each other and Erik murmured "Let's go", brushing his nose against Charles' and then so easily bending lower and slipping one arm under both of Charles' knees, carrying him bridal style.

He started walking and came out of the pool, the wind making Charles shiver violently but just as soon forget it because Erik started placing warm kissed against his shoulder while he walked and it made Charles feel like he was turning to pudding.

Erik gently deposited him on his wheelchair and picked up Charles' shirt from the floor, handing it to him. "Thank you", Charles beamed at the other man, whose smile only widened and he cheekily asked "I take it you don't regret swimming then?", and Charles was happy Erik had already put his shirt back on because he grabbed it and tugged at it, strongly pulling the tall man down and towards him, kissing him breathless as an answer.

"You could say that", he whispered afterwards and got a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

They started moving towards Charles' room again but he started feeling more and more cold on those soaked shorts and now chair, his shirt doing nothing to dry or warm him up.

When they were finally there, Charles was shaking. "You okay?", Erik asked and he nodded. "Yeah, just a little cold", he shrugged "Nothing a warm shower won't fix".

"Alright, that's good. I'll see you tomorrow then?", the gorgeous man asked and Charles smiled, already excited. "Yes, definitely", he answered and reached to hold Erik's hand, pulling it towards him and kissing his knuckles.

The young man bent over and kissed his cheek, making a wet trail towards Charles' mouth but when he was just about to claim his prize, the door was pushed open and Raven cooed "Hello there, love birds".

Both of them turned to narrow their eyes at her but as soon as Raven saw Charles, she paled, face turning worried. " You went swimming?", she practically yelled, looking at Erik accusingly.

"You took him swimming? In the night with no towels? You fucking moron! Do you want my brother to freeze to death? How idiotic can you be? His spine injury makes him more susceptible to cold and the circulation on his legs could even stop! He could lose them you dumbass! Stay away from Charles!", she started screaming angrily at Erik who paled considerably.

Charles found himself helpless as Raven was already behind his chair, pushing him into the hotel room. "No, Erik!", he called out but then Raven shut the door on the other man's face rather loudly.

Charles was angry and embarrassed for being treated like a child and someone so helpless he couldn't fucking swim with his date but he would have to settle on complaining in the morning because right now his teeth were clattering against each other and he was shaking badly.

* * *

Erik had never felt like this before. He was frozen to the spot in front of Charles' and Raven' room, trying to process what had just happened, but his brain was failing him.

He had… endangered Charles? Erik could swear he was trying his best to be mindful of the other man's injuries and obstacles but truth be told, he didn't see many obstacles in Charles' way. He didn't see why he couldn't take the other man swimming in the night with nothing to keep him warm or such.

Now that he thought of it though, it sounded like common sense that Charles' circulation wouldn't be the same on his legs. The other man should probably drape a blanket over them when he was at home at wherever he lived at to get that british accent, but really, it wasn't something one would ever think of.

He finally moved then, his heart clenching painfully inside his chest and worry filling his body. Was Charles okay? He had been shivering so much, but Erik had thought it was just… normal. He had thought Charles probably was more of a cold person than warm! Erik himself was usually really warm and didn't feel as cold as the others.

Stepping closer to the hotel room's door, he knocked on it with his fists over and over again, calling for Raven and Charles, shouting apologies and saying he was worried, but he could hear the shower running and he knew he wasn't going to be heard, and if he were, he would be ignored because right now, keeping Charles warm was the most important thing.

He could help with that! He could give the man a bath, could cuddle him underneath the blankets and massage heat back into his body with his hands. But he wasn't welcome there right now, was he? Was Charles as mad at him as Raven? Probably. Erik had pushed him into swimming when the other man had clearly said no, and now there was the result. He had almost frozen Charles. Great. Way to ruin a date.

Erik truly just wanted to stay over and keep knocking until someone gave him news, but there was a man from the hotel staff walking towards him and he knew he was disturbing everyone in the corridor. Raising his hands in a placating manner, Erik turned around and went to his room on another block of the resort.

Sleep didn't claim him that night and he tossed and turned in bed, the sweat and salt clinging to his skin once again while he thought of Charles. The memories from their night made his stomach flutter and he relived their perfect kisses many times, before morning came and he lifted himself up, wrecked and tired.

* * *

1 - 'sirs?'

2 - 'We're cleaning the pool now, you can't swim in the night"


	3. Chapter 3

When Charles woke up, he had a dopey grin on his face, having dreamt of being on Erik's arms. And he had been.

Erik had held him tight against his body while he kissed Charles like he was something precious and worth being cherished. He had smelled so good and felt so warm under Charles' palm that all he wanted was to have that again.

But there was just the slight problem about the way the evening had ended. Charles hadn't minded the cold the least and if he were honest, while yes, he had been freezing, Erik's touches were so warm and addictive he had barely noticed his state. To him, that was perfect. That was freedom.

Erik was carefree around him, didn't treat him like a child or an invalid. And God, he had kissed Charles so good. If it weren't for Raven interrupting them, he was sure he would have ended up pulling Erik to his lap and growing one of his rare boners.

He had a lot of mixed feelings for his sister right now. Charles was annoyed she had walked in on them. He was angry beyond words because of the way she had treated Erik probably ruining Charles' chances with him, or worse, making Erik worry and fuss over him all the time, not ever wanting to do something fun again. And he was thankful she had noticed him shivering because when he had been away from Erik's warmth he had finally noticed how cold he was actually feeling.

Settling for thanking her and then getting angry, he sat up in bed and transferred himself onto the chair, wheeling around the room and doing his normal routine.

Charles carefully slipped the catheter inside his penis and let it do it's work of emptying his bladder. He blushed to think how Erik or any future lover would react to this awful thing he always had to carry around to pee and shut those thoughts away, not even knowing anymore if Erik still wanted something with him.

When he left the bathroom, Raven was still asleep and he decided to let her be, not wanting any confrontations with her right now. The one he was about to have was already enough.

Charles wanted to ambush Erik when the other man left his room, but that idea had to be discarded since he didn't know which one it was. He wheeled to the restaurant where breakfast was served and a quick look inside told him the tall man wasn't there yet.

Stopping at the door and pulling the brakes of his chair, he settled to wait for Erik and apologise to him as much as he had to, to get those lips glued to his once again.

* * *

Erik only went to breakfast because he was expecting to bump into Charles there and hopefully find the words to apologise. It was the right choice, he realised, as soon as he spotted the other man waiting there.

Walking towards him, Erik's palms were sweaty and he cleaned them on his shorts trying to look calm. But when he reached the other man, he started babbling "I'm so sorry for what happened Charles. I didn't know, I… Didn't think! Are you alright?".

Charles gave him a rather sad smile and looked down for a moment, cheeks turning red. Erik's heart was beating wildly inside his chest and when the other man looked up, it stopped altogether.

"I'm fine", he dismissed Erik's concern and bit on his bottom lip, not breaking eye contact. Nothing seemed fine to Erik and he wished he knew what to do or how to act.

"Raven really over reacted last night", Charles started again. "I'm very sorry she treated you like that, my friend. It was nothing to be worried about and while yes, what she said about me being cold and about my legs was true, I haven't felt that good in a long time Erik, and I can only hope she didn't ruin it", he said.

Erik gaped at the beautiful man in front of him, not quite processing what Charles meant by that, which of course, the other man took as a cue to fill the silence with more words.

"I felt… alive and worth it. You made me feel really good Erik, I wanted to tell you this last night; I very much enjoyed our date and would like to do it again, especially with more kisses". The words made his stomach flutter, happy that he hadn't hurt the other man or missed his chance.

The only reaction he could have, was to lean down to press a soft kiss to Charles' red lips, the other man's hands coming up to hold him in place, fingers carding through Erik's soft hair. Charles let out a needy moan when their tongues tangled together and he got a grip on Erik's shirt, pulling him forward and forward until he was almost climbing on the man's lap.

He pulled away feeling dizzy, eyes hooded and lips plush, looking at Charles with fondness. "I thought you would be mad at me", he murmured still so very close, hands finding balance on the wheelchair.

"And I thought you would be mad. What happened was really rude and unfair", was the answer but Erik just shook his head and kissed him again, very gently and chastely.

"I really enjoyed our date too, Charles", he revealed, thinking of how amazing it was to have the other man's entire attention turned towards him, drinking each one of his words like they were precious and important. "Can we do it again tonight?", he invited.

"God, yes", Charles said twisting his fingers tighter around Erik's shirt and looking at him with soft eyes.

* * *

Charles was high above the clouds happy with the fact things had been cleared up and that Erik hadn't been offended by the end of the night. He suggested they should start their date with breakfast and the other man readily agreed, putting a warm hand on his shoulder and entering the restaurant proudly by his side.

Spending the whole day with the other man was amazing and Charles found that he was truly enjoying himself like he hadn't in awhile. Erik was indeed quiet even after he had revealed he could speak english but that didn't come as a problem because Charles would fill the other man's silence with his babble and Erik, surprisingly enough, would pay close attention and make smart comments, keeping up with the conversation and not looking bored or bothered by Charles, something even his exes had seemed sometimes.

They sat by the pool, put sunscreen on each other's back and talked some more. Erik didn't go in the water maybe in sympathy for him, maybe not, but Charles appreciated it immensely. Then, they had lunch together and even ventured into the game room where they found a chess board and played several matches until dinner time.

Charles felt himself getting sad with each minute that passed by because he didn't want the day to come to an end and say goodbye to Erik, which was why when they were done with their meal, he asked to walk Erik to his room this time around.

The warm hand on his shoulder made him feel secure and not lonely, Charles' insides getting all warm and fuzzy with the thought of having that hand in other places. So far, he knew Erik was interested and that he enjoyed kissing Charles even though they hadn't done that at all during the day, but he wasn't sure the other man would want to take things to the next level with him. Maybe he just couldn't see Charles in a sexual way.

Nevertheless, he had to try. Tomorrow was his last day at paradise and he didn't want to waste an amazing chance like this. If things went downhill then he would just have to hide from Erik the last day and never see him again, if they went okay, they could keep doing it until he had to go.

They reached the door to the other man's room and Charles turned his chair around to face him. He smiled in a way he hoped was charming and prayed that he still got it.

"Would you like to show me your room?", he asked sooner than he had planned to and not as smoothly, but then he bit down on his bottom lip and looked up at Erik wanting to see his reaction. The other man's expression was soft and there was a slight smile on his face. "I would like that very much", Erik answered and picked his card, swiping it on the door and pushing it open.

Charles rolled in, a nervous feeling on the pit of his stomach as he studied the room around him. It was the same as Charles' and he couldn't tell if Erik was messy or organized from it because the maids had clearly already been through there. His palms were sweating and he cleaned them on his shorts, not feeling the pressure they did there.

"Please, feel at home", Erik told him and Charles nodded, coming closer to the bed and touching the sheets softly, pushing the mattress down to test it.

There was this slight tension in the air and Charles was scared of turning around when he started talking "Tomorrow is my last day", he said almost sadly. "Raven's friend offered her this trip, I'm really glad I came along".

Erik chuckled and walked around Charles, sitting in bed right in front of him so they could look at each other. "My boss made me come here. Said I needed vacations after I made two people cry at work", he said and Charles' eyes widened.

"You? I can't see that", he shook his head, making Erik grin showing all his beautiful teeth, like a tiny shark. "I'm only this nice on vacations and with beautiful blue-eyed strangers", he answered, gaze falling to Charles' lips so suddenly, making the air between them shift from tense to electric.

Charles didn't want to talk anymore. He grabbed two fistfulls of Erik's shirt and pulled the other man towards him slowly, giving him the chance to stop this. But Erik was pliant and he was leaning in towards Charles, licking his own lips to make them wet and turning Charles on.

When they met in between it was like sparks shot through his damaged spine and Charles let out a needy moan, blushing furiously from it but not being able to stop what they were doing or the sounds that kept escaping him.

He kissed Erik avidly, lips sliding together and tongues wetting and licking into each other's mouth and teeth clashing because of the heated kiss they couldn't properly coordinate, being too lost in it's intensity.

Charles kept tugging at Erik's shirt, wanting more of him, wanting to get him closer. It did come as a surprise, - a really nice one - when Erik got up from bed and climbed on his lap. Charles didn't know how the other man made it work but he was too lost to care about that, having Erik sitting on his lap and kissing him like their lives depended on this.

When they parted for breath, Erik nuzzled his cheek adoringly, making Charles' heart flutter when he really shouldn't be falling for the stranger who had lied to him, but he was too gone for it now. Erik was perfection and Charles wanted to have and to love him.

"Is this okay?", the other man murmured huskily against his damp skin and Charles nodded yes, turning his head and starting to place kisses on his neck, letting his hand slip underneath Erik's shirt and feel the body he had ogled at for the whole week.

He touched the taunt stomach and nibbled on the curve between neck and shoulder, making his own purple mark there. Erik moaned on top of him, making Charles melt with that delicious sound and the other man's fingers threatened through his hair holding it tight.

"Wait", Erik whispered when Charles grabbed the hem of his shirt and was about to pull it off of him so he could have more skin to explore and maybe spread more hickeys there.

"What?", he asked, fear creeping up on him that he was right about Erik not seeing him in a sexual way. It would be just his luck. "How… I'm sorry, I wish I knew more but… How does it work for you?", he asked awkwardly and seemed a little scared of upsetting Charles. His eyes were looking at the floor and something bloomed inside of Charles.

Erik was caring and he wanted to make sure it would be okay and good for Charles too. He was planning on going for more, even though Charles was sure Erik would change his mind once he heard the answer, it made him happy to have landed such an amazing and gorgeous man.

"I… I only know from what I have experienced myself", he started and came closer to Erik, burying his head on the crook of the other man's neck so it would feel less embarrassing. "I still retain sensation on my uh, penis. I can feel the touch of a hand for example, but the hand would have to be rougher so I could feel it like before. It takes me a lot longer to reach my orgasm, sometimes… Sometimes it makes my hand cramp", he said, eyes filling with tears because of the shame, but Erik's fingers massaging his scalp were soothing him at the same time.

"Sometimes I don't get hard at all, no matter how much I try, so it wouldn't be your fault if it didn't happen. It's mostly tiring, some days not even worth it. I haven't figured out everything yet", Charles finished, clinging to Erik's shirt to enjoy the man's company for as long as he could get away with.

Who would still want to sleep with him after knowing that? He was disgusted and embarrassed of himself for not being able to have a normal sex life. Would he feel a blowjob? Would the other person eventually get tired since he seemed to never come? God, he was useless and worthless.

But the next words coming out of Erik's gorgeous lips made something loosen up inside his chest and he grinned widely. "It's more than worth it", the other man purred in his ears and pulled away so they could look at each other. Erik's long fingers threatened through his hair, Charles humming and leaning into the touch as they locked eyes.

Erik started moving his hips in circles, his spine curving beautifully as he grinded down on Charles, eyes never darting away. The pressure on his cock was barely there like this, but watching Erik move on top of him was a rush itself. The way the other man was staring at him, eyes still hooded with lust and desire was setting Charles' skin on fire, making him feel arousal course through his veins even though he wasn't feeling it on his dick.

Was this one of the times he wouldn't get hard? His body couldn't fail him like this! Not here, not with this greek God willing to touch and to kiss him, he couldn't bare another disappointment.

"I'll make you feel good", Erik murmured, thumb caressing across Charles' lips and spreading his saliva, making them moist. "What about you?", he asked, voice shaking and scared he couldn't make this decent for Erik.

"I'm already feeling amazing", Erik answered huskily, making all hairs on Charles' body stand. Charles looked away then, hands exploring Erik's back underneath his shirt and nails scratching the skin strongly enough to leave red marks. The smallest of moans escaped Erik's lips and it was like fuel for Charles. He could do this.

"Let's move to bed", Erik offered and Charles nodded as an answer but before they moved, Erik smoothed his hands down Charles' arms, feeling him up and humming his approval before going towards the hem of his shirt and tugging it up to remove it.

Charles lifted his arms, this part being easy since Erik had already seen him shirtless. The other man's breath hitched as if he had never seen it before though, and he used his fingertips to trail down Charles' chest, the pad of his thumb brushing against a nipple and making Charles moan.

Biting down on his bottom lip, he looked up and said "It's become a lot more sensitive ever since…", explaining that his whole upper body was quite erogenous when his penis decided not to work.

Erik grinned and kissed Charles chastely before getting up from the chair and standing in front of him. He took off his own shirt and Charles eyed the trained body with a little envy and a lot of arousal. God, he was hot.

"Take me to bed", Charles said with a raspy voice, trying to make it sound more sexy and less of a request. This was the part where he would usually jump up and wrap his legs around the narrow waist, kiss him in a filthy way and grind his erection against the man's stomach but it was all out of his reach now, so he settled for looking up under his eyelashes and stretching his arms.

Erik's expression turned serious, his eyes getting a shade darker and his plush mouth going slack. Charles only had one second to worry until the other man breathed out "Fuck, you shouldn't be allowed to look like that", coming closer and putting his strong arms around Charles' body, carrying him just like he had done to get him out of the pool.

They kissed messily until they reached the bed and Erik put him in it gently, immediately climbing on top of Charles and not breaking the kiss once.

Their naked torsos were pressed together and Charles let himself enjoy the feeling of having someone in bed with him again, someone wanting him. He ran his hand up and down Erik's skin that felt warm after days under the punishing sun, felt his muscles shifting and the perfect valley before his ass. He asked himself if Erik was a top or a bottom and he wanted to do that question out loud but he couldn't do that yet.

The other man pulled away from his lips then, trailing his kisses down Charles' chin and towards his neck, kissing, sucking and lapping at it making Charles moan wantonly.

He didn't remember it feeling this intense, how it made his hairs stand, his fingers claw to Erik's back and his eyes roll upwards. He kept moaning and moaning, begging for more and many other requests escaping his lips. "Please, Erik… Hmmhm, Oh God, yes, more… Mark me", he groaned and the other man complied.

He gave Charles a harsh suck on the junction between shoulder and neck that made his back arch off the bed and his lips to fall open, his moans becoming more desperate and loud. "How do you like that?", Erik asked smiling against his skin for which Charles grabbed his hair and brought him over to his lips.

They kissed deep and thorough, Charles craving to wrap his legs around Erik and bring him down closer to him so they could dry hump against each other but since he couldn't, he made up with his hands, running them down Erik's back and cupping his ass, kneading the flesh and bringing him down towards him.

Erik panted into his mouth and when he pulled away, he didn't waste any time before attacking Charles' skin again, but he went down to his chest, licking his collarbones and then trailing kisses towards a nipple.

He kissed it softly and then licked around it, pulling the nub between his lips and then grazing his teeth against it. Pulling away, Erik blowed the abused flesh, making Charles cry out in pleasure. It had never been like this before, but he had become so sensitive up there that it felt heavenly, as if he was getting a really well done blowjob. He was left an incoherent mess by Erik's lips and he loved it.

He could feel the hardness inside Erik's pants pressing against his stomach and a wave of pride washed over him for being the cause of that. "You're hard", Charles commented dreamily, hands grabbing the hem of Erik's shorts to bring him just a little closer and then sliding down the front until he was cupping Erik's cock and massaging it inside his pants.

"Oh Gott… I am", Erik moaned, head lolling forward and resting on Charles' chest as he touched and felt what it truly seemed to be a large cock that made his mouth water. Fuck, what wouldn't he give to feel that inside of him, but he knew it was a little more complicated now and that was something he wouldn't have time to experiment with Erik before leaving; he wasn't ready to find out the difference yet, didn't want to ruin his memories of how good it had felt before.

Charles stopped cupping Erik in order to slip his hand inside the man's shorts and boxers at the same time, fingertips reaching trimmed pubic hair and dipping in it until he felt the hard, fat cock and held it in a strong grip. Charles gave it a long, experimental stroke reveling on the feeling of how warm and thick it was on his hand.

"Christ", Charles moaned because he was enjoying touching Erik so very much. He couldn't think of anything better at the moment. He kept the slow teasing of the big prick, feeling the pull of skin even though he could tell just by touch that Erik was cut.

Looking down, he peeked at it to see the flushed, pink head appear and disappear in his grip, precum leaking from it "You're beautiful", he breathed out and a moan escaped from Erik as he fucked himself into Charles' fist.

* * *

Erik was drowning in Charles, the perfect grip of the man's fist around his cock making him almost lose it. He hadn't gotten any in awhile, being too busy with work and being a anti-social grumpy guy. This felt so good and he didn't need to ask Charles for anything more, only this was perfect.

He was almost gone in his pleasure when a thought crossed his mind and he stilled his hips, letting only Charles' skilled fingers work on him twisting and tugging. He wanted to make Charles feel good before anything else. First things first.

Kissing the other man deeply, Erik started moving his hand all the way down his chest to his navel, feeling the thin hairs under it that lead towards his crotch. Erik hummed excited and pulled away smiling down at Charles and moving out of his reach, losing the stimulation on his cock.

He grinned at the other man and his hand wandered over his shorts to cup Charles' cock. It had never happened to him that another person wasn't at least half hard by this point, but Charles' prick felt soft underneath his fingers and his heart stuttered a bit, his hand stopping.

Of course he had completely understood this could happen, but a proud part of him had thought he could actually get Charles hard and leaking. He tried pushing all his doubts away that the other man wasn't enjoying this and telling himself it was only normal, but it must have taken him too long because Charles' breath hitched and his hand came over Erik's pulling it away from his dick.

Looking up, he saw that Charles was looking away and his bottom lip was trembling slightly, which made his heart clench. Erik placed a series of kisses through Charles' collarbone and whispered against his skin time and time again that it was okay and that he wasn't giving up on it yet.

He trailed his kisses down and opened Charles' pants, pushing them away along with his underwear and pulling himself up so he could get completely rid of the fabric. Erik went all the way down to Charles' feet to get them off and threw them on the ground, smiling up to the other man and crawling towards his crotch.

Charles' cock was lying on the midst of dark, curly hair, all soft and beautiful. It was quite a sight to see and he could only imagine how flushed and bigger it would be when hard. "You look gorgeous", he whispered looking up again to find Charles worrying his bottom lip and seeming nervous.

Erik kissed his thigh even though he knew it wouldn't be felt and winked at him trying to be reassuring, - he really wasn't good at this kind of thing, so he was trying all he could think of.

He nuzzled all the way up from Charles' balls to the head of his cock, breathing in the manly scent and feeling how his mouth was watering from the eroctic moment. He let his tongue dart out and swirl around the head, teasing it a little before he remembered Charles couldn't feel the light touches. Was it worth it to put on a show? He hoped so.

* * *

Watching Erik lap and lick at his cock was such an arousing thing Charles was sure he would be practically coming by now if he was still normal. As it was, his cock remained soft.

It didn't take long for the other man to hold it with a hand and then wrap his lips properly around it. He applied a lot of pressure for what Charles could see of his hollowed cheeks and he could finally feel the wetness and tightness around himself. There was a moan leaving his mouth at it, but for some reason, his prick wasn't perking up at the amazingness it was to get another blowjob.

Erik started to go down on him with energy, using his hands and lips, bobbing his head up and down in a incredible pace, applying a crazy amount of pressure but Charles just wouldn't get hard.

He could feel the embarrassment and shame taking over his body, making him tense and not prone to getting an erection anytime soon. His eyes were prickling with tears but he didn't stop Erik.

He didn't stop Erik on the full four minutes the persistent man went on and on. Erik didn't seem to be giving up yet as he had said, but Charles could see the tick on his jaw that showed him it was probably hurting terribly by now with the strength he was putting into it, he could see the spit running down his chin as Erik kept salivating around Charles' prick for no use at all.

It was then that Charles started crying. He was useless. The first and probably only man that would ever want him after his accident and he was ruining it. His cock wouldn't work properly anymore and Erik was being so kind, wasn't letting go when it was so painfully obvious Charles was just a crippled who could never please him.

The self loathe hit him hard then and he screwed his eyes shut, hearing the blowjob more than feeling it now that Erik was losing his perfect grip around it, his movements were starting to get more erratic and a bit desperate. There was no use, Charles was as good as dead on that department and the realisation made the tears keep coming in frustration, sadness, shame…

"Stop, stop, stop!", he almost screamed, hands reaching out to push Erik away from his useless dick. Why would such a beautiful, well functioning man want to keep touching him anyway?

His heart hurt when he looked down and saw the almost scared look on Erik's eyes. "You're crying", he stated, voice breaking. "Have I done something wrong? Please tell me what it is", he asked getting out of his position on top of Charles and sitting next to him with his legs crossed.

It was painfully obvious how Erik had managed to stay half hard during it all and Charles sobbed, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. How could he be turned on by Charles and his disgusting body? He was nothing more than a waste of space.

* * *

Erik heard the small, heartbreaking sob that came out of Charles' lips and immediately reached out to hold the man's wrists, trying to pry them away from his face so he could see him clearly.

"Hey, hey", he said softly "what can I do?" the question slipped as soon as Charles' scrunched up face came in view and he saw the wet other man shook his head and didn't say anything, his eyes still shut. It made Erik miss seeing those vibrant blue orbs and he instinctively leaned closer.

"Shhhh…", he made the sound and started kissing Charles' tears, catching them with his lips in an attempt to dry his face. "Shh.. Don't cry… It's alright, Charles. I'm so sorry, shhhh…", he murmured gently, sweet nothings escaping him as he kissed the young man's face and his hands still held both wrists, making soothing circles with his thumbs in them.

"I'm s-sorry", Charles stuttered and then finally, opened his eyes. Erik pulled away then, letting go with one hand to pull a sheet over their lower bodies offering some decency so they could talk. The other man was looking at the ceiling, stubbornly avoiding Erik's eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Please tell me where I've gone wrong", he asked gently, wanting to be better next time. "You d-did nothing wrong", Charles sobbed "I'm wrong. I'm all wrong, can't you see?", he asked then and it dawned on Erik how stupid he had been. He had pushed Charles into something he clearly wasn't ready for and it had broken him down to not be able to perform. The tint on his cheeks showed how embarrassed he was, and the tears proved his frustration but he wasn't wrong. No, nothing could be wrong about him.  
"Don't say that. You're all right to me. I'm sorry I pushed you into this, we can just sleep, ok? Just sleep", he offered, hand reaching up to once again dry the man's face.

"God, no. You didn't- I want to so bad but I just can't- I'm useless", the last part was only a whisper that made Erik's whole body ache. "Charles, I don't know why you would ever think that, but nothing about you seem useless to me. You warned me this could happen and I was fully prepared for it, I wasn't bothered in the least".

"But I thought it would work! I w-wanted it to, I wanted to-", a hiccup cut the rest of the sentence off and then Charles fell silent. "Don't worry about it", Erik said carding his fingers through soft hair. "I don't like you because of sex. I want your company, so let's just stay in together, hm? We can watch a movie and order room service, how does that sound?", he asked once again, desperate to not let Charles leave like this, to not let their evening come to a terrible end.

Charles stared at the ceiling more and then shook his head. "No. I can't stay", he said finally making Erik incredibly sad. It must have been clear on his face his disappointment, - for the first time in the night - and when Charles looked at him, he noticed that.

"Don't make me explain why", the other man said and Erik nodded, pulling away. He let go of the hair and the hand he was holding and then got up from the bed, finding his boxers and pulling them on. This was a delicate situation and he truly had no place in being upset because Charles didn't want to stay.

It was obvious to him though, that the other man wouldn't want to see or speak to him the next day seeing how this went so if it was supposed to end, then let it end quickly. Charles would go back to his home in England and Erik to his own in New York.

He found the rest of his clothes and dressed himself up, not wanting to feel exposed. Then, he started picking up Charles' and walked towards the bed at the same side as the other man was now sitting.

He put the clothes in the bed and then went to the wheelchair, pushing it to stay next to Charles so he would have free space to maneuver himself into it and leave whenever he wanted to. The other man pulled his shirt on and then got rid of the sheets to put on the boxers and shorts.

Erik looked away and resisted offering help, knowing it wouldn't be welcome at all at this point. When Charles was ready, he cleared his throat and Erik turned back, seeing him already sitting on his wheelchair.

The other man opened his mouth but no sound came out of it, so Erik did the next best thing he could think of. He stepped closer and bent down, wrapping his arms around Charles. There was no response coming from him so Erik stood there for just a little longer, breathing in the scent of his vacations fling, feeling the softness of his skin and how perfectly he fit in the middle of his arms. Pressing one warm kiss to the curve where shoulder met neck, Erik pulled away and locked eyes with those blue oceans. Actually, they were prettier than the water he was seeing there, but that wasn't of importance at the moment.

He wished Charles had hugged him back so he would have felt what it was like to be held by him once again, but he pressed that thought away. Nodding, Erik lifted one of his hands to the back of his neck awkwardly, not sure of how he was supposed to act on such situation.

Luckily, Charles broke the silence first. "It was nice meeting you, Erik", he said but his eyes didn't shine like they usually did, his voice had no emotions; a lie. It was bluntly obvious to him how Charles didn't mean those words and it made his heart ache, a bitter taste filling his mouth. "Have a nice trip back home", he murmured wanting to have the last word, but after Charles turned his chair around and opened the door, he beat him to it "You too".

* * *

Needless to say, Charles could barely find his way back to his own room with so many tears in his eyes. He felt embarrassed and stupid for having ruining the night. When he finally pushed his door open and rolled inside the right room, he breathed out in relief, thinking he was at a safe place now.

Of course that safe place didn't exclude his little sister and the man in her bed, but luckily, they were asleep. He tried being silent and he cried under the blankets so no one would hear, having only himself as company.

He wished he had stayed in the room with Erik, had been cuddled by him and distracted by a movie but he couldn't have bared staying there another second, being reminded of his failure. Besides, it was impossible for him to follow his morning routine without his equipments so he would have ended up leaving at some point anyway. It had been a foolish idea all along.

The next day, he dodged the questions from Raven telling her that Erik didn't hurt him in any way and she should stay away from the other man. He didn't reveal any details though, not wanting to talk about it and not in the mood to hear anything from her no matter if it was supportive or not.

She had insisted a lot on getting him out of his hotel room but he stubbornly spent his whole day there, ordering room service and avoiding running into Erik completely. That chapter was over. Erik was just going to become a story he had to tell about the stranger in the resort and he would always make the story sound better than it had been. He would go back to his home in New York and Erik would go back to his in Germany. Gone.

It wasn't the relief he thought it would be when he climbed into the airplane. He somehow felt he was leaving something behind and his heart ached at that thought, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. The peace he had found there at the beginning? The tropical weather? The drinks? He wasn't sure.

Sitting next to Raven, she latched on her story about the man he had seen on her bed, happily telling him how he didn't fail in getting hard and she didn't fail in sleeping with him. It made Charles bitter, but he wasn't thinking about this anymore. Ever.

"I'm just so happy my friend got us this tickets!", she exclaimed with a huge grin and Charles held on to that opportunity to change the subject. "Yeah, you never quite told me how you got them", he commented trying to seem interested.

"Well, you know this company I'm working for? I'm just a small secretary right now but I am, of course, working my way to the top. Remember when I told you my friend Emma got me the job? Well, she is the one who got us the tickets", - "Why?", he asked faking to be intrigued.

"I'm not completely sure! She said she needed to buy one ticket for someone at the company but apparently there was a combo and she thought of me since I was, you know… sad about the breakup. She really is a good friend, so she bought me and you a ticket too", she explained "I just wish I knew why she bought that other person a ticket" - "Hmm…", Charles hummed not really listening anymore and hoping Raven would talk to herself for a little while.

* * *

As soon as Erik landed on his airport in New York three days after last seeing Charles, he turned his phone back on. There was a spam on messages from his boss and he rolled his eyes. She had been the one to give him the stupid ticket and now she was pressing him to come work? He didn't see how that was fair.

Emma was barely above him at the company, but she loved using his position to annoy Erik as much as she could, which was exactly what she was doing right then. It didn't come as a surprise to him when he picked up her next call and she said he should come straight to the company, that one week without him clearly taking a tool.

He was rather good at controlling their employees and sure enough, she wanted him to strike some fear into them and make them get their work done. Since he was already there, he went to his office and sat on his chair again. He could feel his relaxed persona from the resort slipping away and giving space to the seriousness he always had around work.

It would have probably worried his mama how he didn't seem happy at all, but he was, wasn't he? He loved his job. There wasn't anything else he needed.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my god! I have to tell you something about work!", Raven exclaimed across the dinner table two weeks after they were back from their trip. They were at Charles' home and politely avoiding the fact he hadn't made a move to go back to work or actually starting to live like a normal human being yet.

"Yeah?", he asked not so interested since Raven had taken it upon her to tell him all the gossip about the company as if he cared. She was his dear sister, and he appreciated her visits so he listened and made the right comments at the right times, not wanting to be an ass with the only person that had hanged around him after his accident, not ever giving up or being pushed away by his erratic behaviour.

"We have this big ass boss there, he is almost as big as Emma, I swear and he is like… the worst! I have never even been to his floor I don't even know his whole freaking name! He's like a myth and everyone that sees him is too scared off to even say anything! He's last name is Lehnsherr and I think the first one starts with E! I'm betting on Evan or Eli but anyways… He made this intern cry the whole day today! It was awful, he was sobbing for so long and couldn't even tell what happened!", she finished her tale.

"Well, he sounds like a big ass", Charles answered. "These people let power get into their heads and think they are better than anyone!", he continued because that was a subject that really annoyed him. But there was something about what Raven had said… This man had made an intern cry today and that reminded him of… of Erik.

He hadn't thought of the other man ever since he came back from his trip and now he finally thought he was able of doing so without feeling embarrassed and bursting out in tears of shame. Erik had told him something about making his employees cry as well and Charles just couldn't see him as an ass who had let power get too much inside of his head. It just wasn't possible.

Carefully putting that trail of thought away, he focused on his sister and dinner, but in bed at night, they came back like a bullet train and he couldn't stop them anymore. His incredible memory allowed him to remember everything that had happened between them, even the words exchanged and it made his whole body ache. His heart hurt inside his chest and it was suddenly hard to breathe.

Erik had taken him on dates. He had been the one who convinced Charles of going into the pool and then had kissed him there in the prohibited water. He had carried Charles without making him feel like he needed to be carried but rather like something intimate and enjoyable and he had worried about Charles when he had been cold.

Erik had been attracted to him and willing to be Charles' first after his accident. He had been kind and had such patience, not giving up on getting him hard. His desire for Charles hadn't diminished when he saw he wouldn't get hard and even after, when Charles was crying, Erik had touched him gently, kissed his tears away and brushed his damp hair out of his face, had hugged him only to be completely ignored and pushed away.

Charles had been so swallowed by his pain and shame that he hadn't noticed any of it, had barely acknowledged the invitation to stay over and just sleep! Erik had offered that because he liked Charles' company and Charles had just… left him there.

Fuck. He had definitely ruined everything but not because he didn't get hard. Because he had been stupid enough to not see what was right in front of him.

"I don't like you because of sex. I want your company, so let's just stay in together, hm? We can watch a movie and order room service, how does that sound?". Oh God, why? Erik had said he liked him and all Charles did was leave. He could have gotten a phone number!

They could have said goodbye, kissed, hugged. Could text each other with funny things that happened through their days, could skype and see each other on camera… Maybe it would develop into something more and they could travel to meet each other, it's not like he didn't have the money. Hell, he could even move to Germany if he wanted to. But now that was all gone.

He felt tears prickling on his eyes and an angry sound tearing its way through his throat. Maybe if he found a way to communicate with Erik he could apologise. That was all he wanted to do, show he was sorry. He knew there was no use in hoping for more now and he felt like he had wasted his one big chance, but if Erik forgave him for leaving like that, then… He would find a way to live with himself.

Charles tried all he could think of. He called the resort that they stayed at and asked for informations about the man staying at room 305 but they said they couldn't reveal anything about their guests.

It frustrated him to no end and he even got as far as googling Erik + Germany. Needless to say, he didn't get really far with that. He did use his persistence with the resort, though, calling there every other day and trying to extract any piece of information he could.

The woman on the other side of the line, - her name was Bruna, he had learned - had listened to him babble and ramble about Erik, had heard the story a thousand times and hadn't said anything yet.

She did crack at the end of a month of insistence, sighing when she recognized Charles' voice at the line. "Ok, fine, Mr Xavier. You win. I'm going to pull the records and give you a last name if you promise to stop calling, alright?", she offered exasperated and Charles beamed a the other side, practically bouncing on his chair.

"His name is Erik Eisenhardt. E-I-S-E-N-H-A-R-D-T", She finally said and Charles wrote it carefully down, spelling it back to her to make sure he hadn't made any mistakes.

"Thank you so much, my friend", he said as honestly as he could and he could tell she was smiling when she answered "Good luck, Mr. Xavier".

He went to his computer and quickly typed the name there.

* * *

It had been two months since he came back from the resort and Erik was fully back at being the strict, tense man he had always been.

Charles was a constant weight on his mind. Somehow he couldn't get the man out of his head, couldn't forgive himself for how he had hurt him on their last night together.

He wished he had been able to keep in touch, send the man an occasional email and hear about his life, know how he was doing and keep himself sane. Maybe if he could still talk to Charles, he could still be carefree and relaxed for a few moments, but of course that wasn't possible anymore.

He did his best to push the other man away, not wanting to be haunted by something there was no way of changing.

Two weeks later, he was crossing the hall on the first floor of the building he worked at. He was fuming, angry that Emma had told him to go home just because he had looked tired. He wasn't tired, he just… Wasn't getting much sleep lately with his mother's health situation.

She had caught a cough and he had been spending all his free time at her house, not being able to fall asleep in the lumpy couch hearing her cough. Edie was being stubborn and wasn't letting him take her to the hospital, so he was feeding her some pills and soup to make her better.

Emma, of course, had caught up to how tired he looked and sent him home for a nap before he screwed up their work. The hall was full and that was weird to Erik since he always came in too early and left too late.

He was almost out, this close to pushing the door open when someone called out his name. The voice was familiar and feminine but he didn't really remember from where he knew it from. Erik considered ignoring it and just leaving, but the voice sounded closer now and pushy.

"Erik? Shit! Is that really you?", she asked and Erik turned around, recognition dawning on him and his eyes widening slightly. "Raven?", he asked frowning, Charles' sister standing right in front of him.

* * *

"Fuck, Charles! You don't know what happened at work today!", Raven exclaimed as soon as she entered his house and he sighed, turning his back on her and wheeling towards the kitchen for their weekly dinner, - it was supposed to happen in three days but for some reason, she saw it fit to move up.

He had been sulking for nearly three weeks now, because finding out Erik's last name didn't bring him anything and he had missed his chance to apologise, maybe possibly even… No, he wasn't going to go there again.

His new mantra was : Erik was a fling. A summer hook up that meant nothing, and he was going to live by it. He could find someone else right? Someone even better than a perfectly sculpted, gentle, polite and accepting gay man on the right age for him, of course he could!

"Whatever happened?", he asked faking enthusiasm and Raven shut up her babble suddenly, walking after him to the kitchen. She went to the other side of the table and spread both her palms in the wooden surface, looking at him with piercing eyes.

"I'm actually really thankful for what happened today, I'm hoping it will make you less of an ass and happy again" - "I haven't been happy in a long time", Charles countered, starting to get annoyed.

"You seemed happy to me at the resort. And you've been trying to find Erik for more than a month now, which makes me believe you want to feel happy again. What happened between you two anyway?", Raven asked and Charles was relieved she finally did because she seemed to be avoiding it for a while, but so very curious that was almost giving him a headache.

"None of your business", Charles answered rudely for which she just rolled her eyes, being used to it by now. "C'mon big brother. I'm the only person you have to talk about this. I can help you, just tell me what happened and we'll fix it together!". Charles knew it wasn't possible for them to fix anything if he couldn't even find Erik, but the hope she was giving him was one he had been looking to find for a while now and he didn't want to throw it away, didn't want to give up yet.

"I just… did to him what I did to everyone else when I got frustrated about my… limitations", he said not quite putting it out there, but trusting Raven to understand nonetheless. "Did you yell at him?" - "No I just… Turned into this insensitive prick. He asked me to stay, said we could watch a movie and just… stay together. And then when I left he hugged me, he knew I was saying goodbye and I didn't even.. hold him back you know", he finally said, the words making him feel guilty.

"Oh… well, that really was insensitive, but Charles… it could have been so much worse. That was practically nothing an apology and dinner won't fix", his sister said being supportive and reaching across the table to hold his hand. "Yeah, I can't even call him to apologise, how are we supposed to have dinner in different countries?".

Raven's face split into a huge grin and she said "About that…".

Charles would be stomping his foot on the ground if he could, but since that wasn't a possibility, his fingers were drumming on his wheelchair's arm and he was chewing nervously on his bottom lip.

"Stop that!", Raven said slapping his hand like a strict teacher. Two days after she had told him about Erik, Charles had finally accepted that the other man actually lived in new york and worked on the same company as his sister. He was a little sceptical still, thinking Raven had mixed Erik up with someone else, but the hope had set roots on his heart and he had gotten up early in the morning, dressed up nicely and rode the tube towards the company they worked at.

He was now at the lobby and quite annoyed that his perfectly fit pants, that made his thighs look great, were covered by a thick blanket because of the cold weather. It completely ruined the mood and the perfect outfit he had spent an hour picking, but he tried to ignore that as best as he could.

"C'mon, I can get you to the floor he works at", she said and picked out a card from her purse. Charles smiled widely, so very thankful she had those connections.

He was still beating the pads of his fingers on the arm of his wheelchair inside the elevator and then on the corridor.

"Gosh, I've never been up here", Raven murmured "They say he's really rude and we should stay away… He picked his employees very strictly and doesn't like when other people get on his way", she commented and Charles just hummed, not really caring about those rumours; they didn't describe the man he had met.

"Will you stop worrying so much? You're getting on my nerves!", she said and Charles sighed. "Raven, this is important! For weeks now I've been telling myself Erik was a fling, a summer hook up that meant nothin-", - "Charles! Oh… oh", he heard the beautiful, accented voice from behind him, since they clearly missed the right door to go in.

With Raven next to him, the space on the corridor was narrow but Charles still attempted to turn his chair around in record speed, resulting on him hitting the wall. He took a deep breath and then tried turning more smoothly.

Charles looked up to see Erik looking gorgeous but… different. The man in front of him didn't have wind-messed hair, wasn't wearing shorts, sandals and a sleeveless shirt. He was wearing a perfectly tailored suit that complimented his broad shoulders and narrow hips, and honestly made Charles horny to just to look at.

He hadn't missed the excitement on Erik's voice when he had called his name and how that excitement diminished when he had clearly heard what Charles had said. Erik's expression was closed off and stormy like he had never seen before and Charles bit down on his bottom lip.

"Mr. Lehnsherr", Raven greeted "I'm off now.. Call me if you need anything Charles", she announced and scurried away.

They waited awkwardly in silence, Charles trying not to be too obvious with his gawking.

"So… What are you doing here then?", Erik asked coldly and Charles knew he deserved that one. Locking eyes with him, he said "Erik, please… I wouldn't be here if I actually believed that".

The other man's expression was closed off and strict suddenly making it easy to see why he was a feared boss and why he made interns cry. It wasn't like Charles was easily intimidated though, and he had already seen Erik looking relaxed and happy so this facade wouldn't work on him.

"I was just telling Raven how I tried to convince myself of that since I couldn't find you, I… It's easier to just tell you everything so would you have a coffee with me?", he started explaining and then asked. He could see on Erik's expression that he wasn't inclined to saying yes, so he put on his best puppy eyes and said "Please?".

* * *

It was evil of Charles to unleash all the power of his puppy eyes on Erik and he knew right then he was doomed. Not that he wasn't doomed the second he had seen the other man again, mind you.

That's why ten minutes later he found himself sitting across a table from Charles on the coffee shop at the corner. It was much like being on a dinner with him back at the resort but he tried not to dwell on that.

There was a silence between them that was only filled when the waitress came over and Erik ordered his coffee like his soul; black. Charles asked for a Cookies and Cream Frappuccino he had never heard of but quickly learned the other man had ordered the sweetest thing on the menu.

"So…", he trailed off, expecting Charles to start talking since he had said that's why they were there. Erik was still irritated but mostly because the stupid shop wasn't wheelchair friendly and it had taken a while to accommodate Charles. He hadn't missed the blush on the other man's face and seeing him embarrassed just made Erik uncomfortable. He knew the other man didn't go out much but yet, there he was, and it somehow soothed him.

"So… I've been trying to find you for a while now. I'm afraid it was all dead ends and you are a very hard man to trace, Erik Eisenhard", he started and Erik frowned immediately.

"Eisenhardt?", he asked, wondering how Charles had gotten hold of his mother's last name. "Yeah", he blushed a little harder "I might have annoyed the staff at the resort into giving me information".

A small smile tugged at the corner of Erik's lip at that revelation, thinking Charles was the most adorable thing since small, furry puppies, - not that he would ever admit to liking any of those.

"I don't go by that last name. It was my mother's and we use it for company stuff sometimes. I'm actually Erik Lehnsherr". Charles' mouth opened in a small 'o' and after a while, he murmured to himself "That makes sense".

Then, he said louder "Well, Erik Lehnsherr, I'm Charles Xavier and I've been looking for you. When I couldn't find you I tried convincing myself it was for the better since you were just a summer fling but… You can see I didn't do a good job".

Erik had to bite his tongue in order not to say 'Thank God', and nodded slowly. "Why were you looking for me?", he asked finally.

"I wanted to apologise. The last time we saw each other I was an ass, I threw all my frustrations at you, made a huge fool of myself. You were… Perfect, Erik and I ignored it. I'm sorry for that". The words came as quite a shock to him and he quickly started shaking his head.

"I'm the one who should apologise. I pushed you into something you didn't want or wasn't ready to and I shouldn't have", he said. It still haunted him how he should have been more patient and not ruined anything by being horny.

"Erik, no! I wanted to", Charles said and smiled sheepishly "I still do. Is it too much to hope that you would give us a chance? I'd very much like to take you on a date. Several, actually".

Erik's whole body wanted to shout yes, but his mind was saying something different and he sighed. "I don't know if this would work, Charles. It's good that we live on the same city but.. You're not interested in me. I'm not the man I was at the resort and you'd often find I'd throw my frustrations at you", he said, Charles paying close attention and then nodding slowly, seeming thoughtful.

He took a deep breath and then answered "I'm not under the impression you'll be taking me on prohibited swimming sessions in the night, Erik. I can take whatever you throw at me and I think you've proven you can take what I throw as well. Let us try this and we'll see where it goes, I… I haven't been able to get you off of my mind and would hate to see this opportunity go away".

"I thought a lot about you as well", Erik admitted, after taking a careful sip from his coffee. Charles grinned as if victorious and even if Erik hated the smug smile, he also thought it was rather attractive and gave in to it.

* * *

Friday came slowly to Charles as he waited for his date with Erik. They had exchanged phone numbers on the coffee shop and while he had wanted to text Erik every two minutes, he had fought that urge and maintained his silence, - it wasn't time to reveal his crazy side yet.

He got himself ready and called in a cab he was going to ride to Erik's home and pick him up there. He had made reservations at a restaurant with brazilian food, - which had been very hard to find - and was positive this date would turn out okay. He hoped to have Erik's lips glued to his by the end of the night.

He reached Erik's home, - which was actually a flat - and rang the doorbell for number five, which unsurprisingly was the penthouse and Charles found himself curious to find out how it looked like. There was no answer upon the first ringing and a few minutes later, he tried again, stretching himself up as much as he could and using the tip of his fingers to ring it, - why was that damn thing placed so high? Did no one think of disabled people nowadays? For fuck's sake!

Erik didn't answer the doorbell and Charles checked his wristwatch to see he was right on time for their date. Maybe the other man had gotten caught up at work and would run a little late. Charles was alright with that seeing that he had been his fair share of late in the past and present. Erik would probably text or call any second now.

Erik didn't call. It had been forty minutes since Charles was just sitting there in front of the building and the wind was getting harsher and harsher, biting against his skin.

He was wearing clothes for their cold weather, of course, but hadn't brought the blanket to throw over his legs since he wanted to look sharp for his date. It was at that point that someone went towards the door and pushed it open, eyeing Charles with curiosity.

"Are you waiting for someone here?", the woman asked and Charles nodded. "Yeah, Erik Lehnsherr?", he asked unsure, questioning himself. Was he on the wrong address?

"Oh. You can wait inside if you want", she smiled nicely and he was so very thankful. Rolling into the lobby, he entered the elevator and went to the highest floor to wait in front of Erik's door.

It wasn't that he was a creep, no. Had this happened on a restaurant, he would be on his way home by now but Erik hadn't showed up on his own home and it made him worried.

When Erik arrived, he was two hours late for the date and Charles was this close to drifting off on his wheelchair. The second he saw the other man step off the elevator, he was washed over by doubt and insecurity. What if Erik had only been brushing him off? Surely two hours of delay had been enough for him to take a bloody hint and just leave hadn't it?

Fuck. Erik must have just pitied him and said yes on the coffee shop and Charles was practically proving him right by waiting in front of his door, inside of the building hours later. And he hadn't want to show his crazy side yet… Ha! That was definitely gone now. Crazy, clingy and crippled, what a trio! He was a fucking catch wasn't he.

He watched as Erik's expression turned from exhausted to surprised and then regretful. "Charles", he said so very softly and stepped closer. "I forgot our date, didn't I?", he asked and Charles nodded very shortly.

"Shit. I'm sorry", Erik said and stood right in front of Charles. God, he had been forgotten in three days since they set the date, if that wasn't a sign then… Still, he had stayed for one reason and this couldn't feel more embarrassing than it already did so he decided to dig a little and look for some sort of explanation, anything that excused Erik from this and allowed Charles to still like him. "I stuck around because I was worried", he explained, hands already going to rest on the wheel so he could dash away.

"I'm alright, I… Was excited for our date today but-" - "You know what? It's okay. I was only worried and should get going now", Charles said, not wanting to hear the rest of the sentence. If Erik was fine, then…

"My mother's in the hospital", Erik blurted out and Charles stopped mid-motion just when he was starting to wheel himself away. He looked up a little wide-eyed and asked "What?".

"She hm.. Had this cough and I have been sleeping over at hers. She didn't want to see a doctor but apparently today she felt nauseous at the supermarket and they called her an ambulance", the other man explained and Charles melted immediately. No wonder the date had been forgotten.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Erik. Is she okay?", he asked genuinely concerned and the other man nodded, which made him breathe easier. Coming to think of it, Erik did seem tired, with slightly dark circles under his eyes and he didn't look half as relaxed as in the resort.

"I really am sorry I forgot about the date", he said and Charles offered him a small smile. "As far as excuses go, yours was pretty good", he answered and then asked "Are you planning on going back to the hospital?" - "Yeah, I didn't want her to sleep alone".

It made Charles even more attracted to Erik to see that the other man was so close to his mother and worried about her to the point he was spending his nights with her because of a cough. He mustered up all his courage and tried to act like he usually did before the accident; charming and confident.

"So why don't you open the door for us and I'll cook you something while you freshen up? I can't let you go back there looking like you've been run over", he said with a dashing smile, which made Erik chuckle and looked down at the floor, slightly shy. "That bad, huh?", he asked self conscious and Charles rolled closer.

Reaching out, he touched his fingertips to Erik's and murmured a "Not really, no", smiling warmly at him. Even tired, Erik looked gorgeous.

"Okay", the other man grinned "I'll take you up on that offer".

Charles was happy for being bold and moving their date to the inside of Erik's apartment, not caring at all about reservations and all. The other man had decided to take a shower and told him to feel free around his kitchen.

He hadn't remembered asking Charles if he needed help reaching anything which was refreshing but also a small problem. The big problem was that no matter if he could reach the cabinets, he couldn't really reach the stove, so he couldn't cook at all.

He let himself feel useless for a while and then embarrassed when he saw Erik stepping into the kitchen, looking like a model and searching for the food. The other man frowned and then after a quick look at Charles, he breathed out a small "Oh", and blushed.

"I think we have a failure in my plan. I forgot I can't reach your stove… But maybe you could come over my place at some point and I'll cook for you there. For now, though-", he shrugged, still trying to keep his old-self persona.

"We can cook together", Erik said nicely and Charles was really happy he wasn't being kicked out because he was in a hurry to go back to the hospital.

Cooking with Erik was pleasurable, and while the tall man reached cupboards and used the stove, Charles chopped vegetables on top of the table. It felt good, and he didn't think he was so useless after all, since Erik kept requesting his help.

The other man even had him tasting the sauce while holding up the spoon himself, and it was a scene straight out of the movies. "What are we cooking?", he finally asked and Erik grinned "I hope you like lasagna?".

Charles actually loved it but he tried, - and failed - to turn his excitement down a notch. "Doesn't it take long to cook? I mean, your mother…", he trailed off after a moment not wanting to be misunderstood.

"She was asleep when I left and probably will be until the morning. She loves lasagna too so I'll just take her some anyway", he answered, the last part a lot lighter than the first. "Good to know she loves it too. I hope she'll approve of it even with my help", he said.

"You're a really good assistant, Charles. I think I might keep you around for you know, whenever I need your help", the other man teased and a warm feeling spread over Charles' stomach.

Erik did keep him around. After they had dinner, they had kissed and parted ways as Erik still had to go see his mother, but he contacted Charles on the next day and now, three months later, they found themselves sitting on Charles' couch and watching a rerun of Prison Break.

Erik's mama had only needed a few pills that would provide her vitamins and had left the hospital two days after their first official date, which meant he had Erik's full attention and he didn't forget about the second date.

Things between them were good, almost perfect, he would say. Erik was a gentleman but he had a point when he told Charles he wasn't the same when he wasn't on vacations. Some days he would be really grumpy or irritated, but Charles had been able to calm him down through massages, kisses and food.

Erik had proven to be patient and calm whenever Charles was moping about his disability and some kind of unfairness he had suffered through when trying to go out and Charles was falling for him harder and harder.

There was just one problem. One tiny, little problem that was actually huge. Erik didn't want to have sex with him. At all. Not that he had said something, but he hadn't tried anything below the waist or even close to sexual apart from some making out sessions and it was driving Charles up the walls with frustration.

Which was why, he was ready to set his plan in motion on a thursday night. They were lying together in the couch, watching a random movie that had been on the television. Erik had his back propped on the arm of the couch, long legs open so Charles was lying between them, head resting on his firm chest.

He started by casually stroking the other man's thigh on the break of the movie, widening his range with each stroke. He had no clue if he would get hard or not, but he was horny. He was craving to have Erik's big hands and long fingers running over his body, to have that perfect mouth ravishing his own… Even if he didn't get a boner, didn't orgasm.. He just wanted to do it.

He angled his head to look up at his dashing boyfriend and smiled seductively at him, his nails scratching the rough surface of the jeans pants Erik was wearing. The other man closed the distance between them to press a weirdly angled kiss to Charles' mouth and then started trailing them down his cheek and jaw, towards Charles' neck.

Erik was always… Warm. His kisses were the perfect balance between hot and fond that made Charles willing to do all sorts of things. And those perfect lips were now suckling on his pale skin, which made Charles moan lowly on his throat.

He let his hand come all the way up this time, murmuring "Keep going… Mark me", as he cupped Erik's bulge and massaged it. His arm was bent uncomfortably and he wanted to be able to kiss Erik properly, to see him, so when the hickey was done, he looked back over his shoulder and said "Let's go to bed".

He watched exactly how Erik's breath hitched and his eyes turned just a shade darker, pupils dilating. But still, the other man held back, both his hands going to Charles' forearms and caressing them up and down. "Are you sure? I don't want us to rush into anything", he said, to which Charles groaned.

Rush? It had been three fucking months and yes, he was a little nervous he would fail again but this was Erik and he would have done him on their first date in New York. "Erik…", he trailed off and thought of the best, seductive way he could put this but came out short of an answer. Bluntness it was.

"I'm horny. Won't you do something about it?", he asked almost nastily but pleading at the same time.

Erik groaned at that and his answer was immediate as he reached out and pulled Charles' wheelchair closer to them so that he could sit on it. It was a normal gesture to Erik, but to Charles it meant a lot that the other man didn't offer to carry him or something. Even it Charles actually enjoyed being carried by him sometimes, thinking it was quite hot, he wouldn't like it if Erik just assumed.

He maneuvered himself into the chair and then Erik got up, grinning at him and licking his lips. He removed his shirt and threw it on the couch, going towards the room right afterwards, giving Charles the perfect view to those dimples on his back.

Gosh, Erik was hot. It was unbelievable that Charles had landed him and he thanked the stars for his luck. "Coming?", Erik asked from his bedroom, and Charles chuckled "Hopefully soon".

"You're lucky you're hot", Erik said with an amused expression, sitting in the middle of the bed and Charles laughed, with no worries anymore since apparently Erik did want to do him and was just waiting for Charles to make the first move.

He rolled next to the bed and looked up coyly at his boyfriend "I don't know if I-", he started but Erik cut him off "I know… Just come here. And don't run away from me again".

Charles smiled softly but nervously and transferred himself to bed, sitting next to Erik who started kissing his neck and then mouth, before climbing on his lap and pushing Charles down on the mattress.

Erik was everywhere, kissing, touching and tasting in a way that was so overwhelming that suddenly Charles had no shirts or pants. He looked down at himself to see Erik focused on his nipple and looking up through his lashes. Charles could see red spots on his white skin and he felt the tingling sensation on his lower body, his cock twitching interested on their activities.

"Oh God, Erik, I'm-", he moaned, his eyes filling with tears but this time happy ones. He had been trying to jerk off a lot on the last months thinking of Erik, but had only managed to get hard a handful of times, but getting so frustrated that he didn't even wait to come before giving up.

But now he was hard, so freaking hard and Erik was there and he wouldn't give up, he would give Charles his orgasm, would make him feel so very good.

"Hm? What, baby? What did I do?", he asked worriedly and since he had his perky ass up in the air he wasn't feeling the erection against his body. Charles smiled and picked Erik's hand, leading it down towards his crotch.

As soon as Erik's hand was on his prick, Charles moaned and closed his eyes. "Oh, hello", Erik laughed breathless and started kissing Charles' torso again while massaging him, leaving wet trails.

When he abruptly pulled away, Charles opened his eyes, to see that gorgeous man watching him closely "Why don't we celebrate this the best way we can?", he asked and quickly reached over to the bedside table, opening the drawer and getting a condom along with a bottle of lube.

He lifted them both up for Charles to see and Charles bit down on his bottom lip. "I wanna ride you. Been wanting to do that since forever", he said, making Charles' skin tingle with excitement, arousal and nervousness.

Charles hadn't actually had sex in so long and he had no clue how to make this work, but he was so willing to let go of his fears for Erik, to just roll with it and let himself be happy. "Yes, oh yes", he finally answered and Erik smiled.

The other man opened the bottle of lube and picked Charles' hand to pour some into it. "Take care of yourself", he said hotly before putting the gel on his own fingers and guiding his hand behind his back.

Charles watched as Erik's face turned to focused and then a little pained as he pressed both finger in at once, probably trying to be quick for Charles' sake. He started scissoring himself, expression showing sheer pleasure at some point and even started fucking himself on the fingers, moaning deeply.

Charles was touching himself, jerking his cock to the rhythm of Erik's movements. The condom around his dick made it different as it always did but it was still delicious and he could only imagine how it would feel to be inside of Erik.

Somehow, he had always imagined his boyfriend being a top while he, himself would rather be bottoming but he couldn't stop being thankful that he would have that gorgeous man sitting on his prick.

"I'm ready", Erik said but it was way too fast and Charles shook his head in protest "No, let me prepare you more", he said, reaching out to open the other man a little more. "Next time… I need to be all tight for you", he said and Charles opened his mouth, wanting to chastise him for it. It was true that Charles needed more pressure but not in a way that would harm his partner rather than give him pleasure but Erik closed the distance between them, kissing him quiet.

His boyfriend grabbed his cock, lining it up to his ass and started lowering himself, breaking the kiss to focus better. The tip of his cock teased the whole a little with Erik's hand working on it and then it started to breach open the tight ring of muscles, making him moan and Erik whimper.

"Erik… Oh, Erik… Please stop if it hurts ok?", he said because he could be considerate too, he should worry about Erik just as much as Erik worried about him and he truly did.

But Jesus, the pleasure! Erik was indeed so very tight around his cock and he could feel everything, could sense every inch swallowing his prick in and he just moaned wantonly, his fingers digging into the flesh of Erik's hips to the point he would definitely leave marks.

When Erik was settling in, he stopped for a moment, hands propped on Charles' chest and took a deep, shaky breath. This was the moment Charles would wiggle his toes and stretch his legs deliciously but he couldn't do that anymore. He couldn't thrust up deep into Erik's body or turn them around to fuck him senseless, but he decided to focus on what he could do.

He could use his hands to guide the other man up and down and set the pace like that, could use his mouth everywhere, could talk and tease.. He wasn't dead and he could make this so very good for his boyfriend.

Charles might have lost it when Erik started to move, using a steady rhythm at first, going all the way up and then down, circling his hips there. He leaned his body down and started breathing heavily into the crook or Charles' neck, while Charles' hand was at the small of his back pressing him down with each bounce.

They were both moaning and sweating, getting lost in the perfect feeling until Erik just stopped. He stopped, chest puffing quickly and hands gripping Charles' shoulders like he needed to hold on to it for dear life. "What is it, darling? You okay?", Charles asked, tracing Erik's spine with his fingertips.

When Erik pulled away, he took Charles' breath for looking so gorgeous. His face was flushed and glowing from sweat, his hair a crazy mess from where Charles had raked his fingers through, eyes shades darker and pupils blown. He was a sight to be seen and Charles knew he was falling in love.

"I'm perfect", Erik said breathless, locking gaze with him. "I just… Almost came", he exclaimed, making Charles feel giddy. He had almost made Erik lose it, just like that.

He knew that Erik had held back because it took him longer, so he put his hand on the back of the other man's neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss, his tongue licking everywhere. When they parted to breathe, he said "C'mon, Erik. Let me see you lose it, come for me", on his husky tone of voice, which made Erik moan.

His boyfriend started moving again, impaling himself on Charles' cock hard and fast, until his expression changed to almost pained and he let out a long, throaty moan and his rhythm stuttered. Charles immediately reached for the hard cock that was bouncing and stroked it, pulling the skin back and then to it's place again. Erik started shooting his load all over Charles' torso and even that vision made him moan.

"God, you're so hot.. And all mine, you're all mine, Erik", he said milking him through his orgasm because there was no way he was letting this perfect man go.

Erik had stopped moving and his head was lolling forwards as he came down from his high and he gave Charles a languid kiss "All yours", he agreed and then lifted his body up, probably being too sensitive and sore to still ride Charles.

He was surprisingly hard still and Erik grinned, wrapping those long fingers around his length and starting to jerk him off. It didn't take long for Charles to come as well, the feeling so overwhelming and so foreign now that he almost blacked out.

It took them a long time to try fucking with Charles bottoming. He had been the one to put the idea out there and while Erik was reluctant and scared of hurting him, he still agreed to it and it had turned out to be pleasurable for both.

Charles loved being fucked and it still felt good even if the positions were limited and he couldn't help much. Erik would even carry the weight of his legs when they tried something different and it was during the time he had sweat all the water from his body by holding Charles' thighs so they could do it while looking at each other, that Charles breathed out "I love you", and then shouted it as he came.

Erik had said it back too which made it all even sweeter and now, an year later, they already had their favorite positions and knew how to work with each other.

Charles was currently lying on his belly, a special pillow underneath him, - that he and Erik had found online especially for this - that kept his ass pointing up and Erik was pounding into him while kissing his neck and pulling his hair just like Charles wanted it.

He had his suspicion that this was one of Erik's favorite positions since he seemed to enjoy Charles' ass sticking up like that and always took forever worshipping it. It was one of the occasions they both came together and Charles was happy that it seemed to be happening more frequently now that Erik had found a pace to hold on longer and Charles was getting used to a healthy sex life.

Erik pulled out of him and kissed Charles a few more times before helping him get rid of the pillow. Charles turned around and smiled, feeling sated. He had long stopped feeling self conscious for having to use different things and not being normal because well.. Erik had showed him he was normal.

His boyfriend snuggled up to him and they kissed briefly, sighing happily. It was a few moments later that Erik started talking which wasn't very usual but completely welcome.

"Charles? How do you see your future? I mean… With uh, family and stuff? Do you see yourself getting married? Having kids?", he asked and Charles bit his bottom lip. In an year and six months of relationship they hadn't really talked about that and it made him nervous that Erik would want different things.

"I… I hm… I would like to marry, yes. Not something big or fancy, just get married and celebrate. And I would love to have children, I love kids and would like to have some of my own", he said staring at the ceiling, heart beating fast.

"How many?", Erik asked simply and Charles felt a tiny bit more comfortable "Two", he said. There was a moment of silence that stretched out forever and Charles couldn't keep silent anymore.

He turned on Erik's embrace to lie on his side and watch the beautiful face. He looked at Erik's chiseled jaw, the straight nose and blue-green-grey eyes, seeming for a second that he was seeing him for the first time on that small elevator on a resort in Brazil, when he was still fighting off his depression. Now, he was back at his job, had a perfect boyfriend and friends.

"What about you, love? Tell me what you want… Most of all, I see my future with you", he murmured, nuzzling Erik's neck. It took his boyfriend another moment to answer and he said "move in with me".

Charles' breath caught on his throat and he pulled away a little to see if Erik was serious. Oh God, he was. "Erik, I want to but… As lovely as your flat is, it isn't very accessible. I know you've made changes but it still isn't", he said thinking of the time and money it would take to make Erik's place livable for him.

Erik turned to lock eyes with Charles and said "I was rather hoping we could stay here at your home. I'm hanging out most of the time anyway and… I want all that you said, Charles. I want a future with you too".

The only answer Charles could think of, was to come closer and kiss Erik, thinking of their first kiss in the pool. There was no doubt, and his heart shouted "yes, yes, yes!".

 **THE END  
**

 **A/N : Hey guys! So this was it from my own story! Let me know what you think of it? I'd really like some feedback!**

 **I'll be posting a new one soon, that is another roleplay between me and my friend!**


	5. Part 2

**THE BARBECUE**

Charles rolled inside his flat, - he was still living in the same one, only now Erik had taken over every little free surface, had put his clothes on half of the wardrobe and scattered his own, tv-shows themed mugs through it - and banged the door rather loudly.

He had had a lunch date with Raven that day and something she had said was still nagging at the back of his mind. He was furious at his boyfriend and he wanted to get things out in the clear as quick as possible. As sweet and attentive as Erik was, he could be rather thick in noticing when Charles was upset, so he had learned to kick up a fuss and just show it outright, without playing around the subject.

He got rid of his bag, throwing it on the couch and then started removing his fingerless gloves and the blanket on top of his legs since the flat was warm. Erik must have turned the temperature up when he came home from his work and even if it warmed Charles' heart, he didn't let himself be melted by the gesture.

It didn't take long for the tall, gorgeous man to come over to the living room, a breathtaking smile taking over his face upon seeing Charles even after all those years. "Hey, Schatz", he said sweetly and walked over, bending low to press a welcoming kiss to Charles' lips, but Charles turned his head on the last second and didn't answer him.

Erik's arms flexed in tension, palms leaning against the wheelchair "Is there something wrong?", he asked pulling away a little, to look at Charles' face. Locking eyes with him, Charles answered in a flat tone "Raven told me the most interesting thing at lunch today", he started, raising his eyebrows and daring Erik not to take this seriously. But he knew, his boyfriend took every little thing even too seriously when it came to his feelings, and that shouldn't be so adorable when Charles was angry, but well…

"Why do I feel like it's a bad thing?", Erik asked rhetorically and straightened up to walk towards the couch and sit there. Charles rolled closer to him and snorted at the man's comment before continuing. "She told me about a barbecue this weekend. Does that ring a bell?", he asked, wanting Erik to get to the conclusion himself, that guilty little man.

"What? Barbe-", he started asking and then cut himself off, eyes going out of focus as he remembered something, face turning into guilt. He knew why Charles was angry and he had known all along that if Charles found out, he wouldn't be happy about it.

"Four years, Erik!", he said a little louder, losing his calm "We've been dating for four years and you never told me!" - "Charles, honey-" - "Don't 'honey' me! How could you not tell me there was an office barbecue every freaking year? Don't you want to be seen with me by your colleagues? Are you ashamed of me?", he shouted, feeling frustrated. He had been over and over this all day long and had already made up this whole reason why Erik had never told him or taken him to the events.

He wasn't naive to think his boyfriend was ashamed of the wheelchair, no. Erik had already proven time and again it wasn't something that bothered him, - he had even taken an year course about massage that could make things better for Charles - so it only meant there was something else. It was just… who Charles was.

He also didn't want to entertain the thought Erik could be cheating on him with someone from the building because his heart told him that wasn't possible, that his Erik would never do such thing. So that left Erik being ashamed of him.

They stared at each other for a long moment, Charles angry and Erik seeming lost. But at some point, his boyfriend scooted closer to the edge of the couch and reached out between them, putting his hand on top of Charles' and sighing. Charles didn't move away because the touch was soft and loving and God, he just couldn't stay mad too long when it came to Erik. Now, he was mostly upset and curious as to why.

"Charles, schatz… You're so wrong it's not even funny! The reason I haven't told you about the barbecues is because I hate them, I've never gone to any of them and I knew if I told you, you'd insist on us going", he explained, but it didn't make things better at all.

"If you knew I'd want it, then why avoid it? Just say it, Erik. You don't want to be seen with me", he accused, but now his tone was tired. Erik's eyes turned surprisingly harsh and he squeezed Charles' hand almost to a painful grip. "I don't want to be seen with you? Then what have I been doing for the past four years, hm? I always encourage you to go out! I'm proud to be by your side and I can't believe you'd think otherwise. Charles, I love you", Erik answered exasperated.

They were both silent afterwards and Charles felt slightly bad for accusing Erik like that, when he knew it was unfair to say the other man was ashamed of him. He just couldn't think of any other plausible explanation for it all.

"Love, I'm not ashamed of you. But when it comes to my colleagues, I'm ashamed of myself. I've told you I'm not seen as a nice man at work and I don't want you to see me like that too. I'll probably spoil their fun if I show up at the barbecue… they all hate me there and I don't want them to feel the same way about you because you're with me! I don't want you to feel how much they don't like me. You do remember I made people cry, right?", Erik made his little speech.

Charles did remember his boyfriend made others cry, but it was nice that it was in the past now and he hadn't done it in years, not ever since Charles had told him to stop it at once and explained to him why it was something so bad.

Charles sighed and turned his hand so his palm was upwards and he linked his fingers with Erik's. "That's a stupid reason", he mumbled embarrassed and not wanting to admit he had been silly to accuse his boyfriend.

"Not as stupid as thinking I'm ashamed of you, Charles. What the hell? Haven't I showed you by now how I feel?", he asked very softly and Charles looked up at him with a small, guilty smile. "I'm sorry. I know it was unreasonable of me, I was just… annoyed I didn't know of it and had to pretend I did".

"I should have told you, schatz. I'm sorry too", Erik said and patted Charles' knee with his free hand. He didn't feel it but it was still reassuring and it made the smile on his face widen, thinking of the first time Erik had touched his legs, fours years ago while inside a pool.

"It's alright. I shouldn't have freaked", Charles said and let go of Erik's hold to put both his hands around his boyfriend's neck, leaning closer to him. Charles kissed Erik gently, making a smack sound when they pulled away and lingered close to each other.

"I need to think of what to wear on the barbecue. I would love shorts, but…", he trailed off and shrugged, being too self conscious about his body. Erik tensed and frowned before asking "What makes you think we're going?", not seeming very excited about. "Oh, c'mon! Please? I just want to meet your friends!", Charles put on his best puppy eyes.

"You know Emma and Azazel!" - "But I want to know everyone else!" - "I'm not even friends with them!" - "Erik, pleeease. Pretty please? I want to go and it would make me so happy if we did", he said and started massaging Erik's tense shoulders.

"I'll reward you so good when we come back", he promised, hoping that would convince his boyfriend.

He watched as Erik seemed to consider it and even felt slightly bad for forcing his boyfriend into something he clearly didn't want. All these years together, Erik had adapted to Charles so very well, had bent to every will without snapping. It was awful of Charles to be so pushy and not consider the fact his boyfriend didn't want to go, but… He truly wanted to go out with Erik, try the barbecue, meet the people the other man saw everyday. He wanted to be part of that world too, he wanted to know everything Erik knew.

"Does it really mean that much to you?", his boyfriend whispered and Charles smiled, knowing he had already won. "Yes", he murmured gently, rolling as close as his wheelchair allowed him and trailing his hands up to frame Erik's face, pulling him in for a soft kiss, their lips gently touching before they parted to gaze into each other's eyes.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't tell you so", Erik relented with a grunt, seeming unhappy about it. Charles on the other hand, squealed like a child on christmas and smacked another kiss into Erik's lips, before aiming for his boyfriend's pants and starting to unzip him.

"What are you doing?", Erik mumbled against him and Charles grinned "Gonna make you feel good too", he said in a low murmur, the one he knew brought shivers down Erik's spine. "That can't be a comfortable position", the other one said, making Charles roll his eyes internally at how worried Erik always was "Let me worry about that", he countered and bent down, in order to take the other man's cock inside his mouth, suckling on it until he felt the flesh harden between his moist lips.

Erik was all quiet moans and endearing words this time. Sometimes he was loud shouts and curses and Charles loved both moods wholeheartedly, appreciating them to the fullest. Their sex life was a bless he thought he would never have again after his accident, but truth be told his orgasms were just as powerful as before even if slower to achieve. Mostly, the sex was even better because of their feelings for each other.

* * *

On sunday, Charles was actually nervous about the whole thing. He asked himself over and over again if it was a good idea to show up, seeing that Erik didn't look happy at all when they started getting dressed, but at the end he opted for not changing his mind.

He got dressed up nicely, wearing the shorts Erik had bought him two years ago and he had never even used before. He was not comfortable showing his useless, pale, soft legs to the world, but Erik seemed to worship them like every other inch of his body and he had wanted Charles to learn to do that as well. It had taken him this long to try the shorts out, but he hoped it would get his boyfriend in a better mood to see that he was giving in a little as well.

"They look good on you", Erik smiled when he saw what Charles was wearing, and it made him feel slightly better. "You think so?", he asked to make sure and Erik nodded, stepping closer and bending lower to kiss Charles' forehead "I do. I can see you're making an effort for me, so thank you", he said gently, causing Charles' heart to do dangerous flips inside his chest.

When they entered the car, Charles was on the passenger seat while Erik drove. He loved watching his boyfriend's long fingers wrapped around the wheel or on the gear stick, loved to watch how focused he was while driving. They only owned one car and it was adapted to Charles' injury, meaning Erik had to get another driver's license and learn how to use this car so that Charles could drive when needed as well.

That thought made him feel like a total ass. He was forcing Erik into something he was obviously uncomfortable with when the other man had given up so much for him! He couldn't let go of one stupid barbecue, had freaked out over it after four years of pure commitment and love from his boyfriend. What was Erik, amazing, beautiful, caring, Erik doing with him after all?

That thought dampened his feelings considerably and when they parked the car, he held Erik's hand, in order to stop him from leaving. The other one turned to him and just stared, giving Charles time to gather his thoughts and voice what was on his mind.

"Do you want to leave? We can have lunch somewhere nice together and go back home", he offered then, meeting eyes with his boyfriend. "What?", Erik asked with a frown on his face. "I'm sorry I forced you to come, Erik. I'm already happy we came at all, we don't need to go into the actual barbecue", Charles said what was on his mind and his boyfriend offered him a small smile, coming closer and placing a kiss on Charles' cheek.

"Are you actually considering how I feel about this?", Erik teased as if it was an impossible thought, but that only made Charles' heart clench inside his chest. He was a bastard, wasn't he? Pushing and pushing, not giving in to Erik when he knew it would make him happy.

"Hey, what is it? Why are you looking like someone kicked your puppy?", Erik asked, angling his body towards him and squeezing Charles' hand back. "Erik, do I make you happy?", he asked even if he knew this was an inappropriate place or time to have this conversation, but it had built up during the week and he couldn't help but let it out at that moment.

"Honey, why would you ever question that?", he asked back, looking concerned. "I just.. seem to convince you to everything you don't want to do and never give you anything back", he said, his eyes burning with tears.

"Charles… this is the most silly thing you've ever said. And you talk quite a lot", Erik said and lifted his free hand to clean a tear on the corner of his eye. "Of course you make me happy, do you think I would spend four miserable years with you?", he inquired and Charles shook his head, knowing it sounded more than silly.

"Yes, you push me to do a lot but… I like seeing your smile. It doesn't matter how I feel when I see that I made you happy, that I have the power to make you shine so bright. That's all I worry about" - "No, how you feel matters, Erik. It does to me", he protested.

"I never doubted that, schatz. You're kind and you treat me good, I love you so much", Erik said gently, coming closer and kissing Charles' lips. "Now, give me a smile and let's go ruin the barbecue for these people. I'll actually take pleasure from that", he said lightly then and Charles shook his head.

"Are you sure? We can still leave", he tried again but Erik just waved it off "And lose the opportunity of you wearing the shorts I got you? Never", he said and pulled away. Charles knew, that conversation was probably not over yet, but as he had thought before, it really wasn't the right time or place.

* * *

They had separated for a moment, in order for Charles to get them hot dogs while Erik grabbed two sodas. None of them was going to drink, seeing that one had to drive and the other wasn't going to get tipsy alone.

Walking into the barbecue, - or rather rolling - had been quite weird. Everyone stared at them with wide eyes as if they didn't believe who they were seeing there. Erik's hand had been on Charles' shoulder as always and it had squeezed him there, as if trying to get some strength to get through this lunch. He did his best not to feel guilty about it.

They had looked at each other and decided to grab food, parting with a small kiss on the temple from Erik. Now, Charles was putting their hot dogs on a plate while grabbing grapes with his free hand, trying to balance everything on his lap.

"Have you seen Lehnsherr?", he suddenly heard from the group of men on his right. "Yeah, can't believe he showed up! He's never been to one of the barbecues before", the second man answered and Charles' interest picked up so he lingered on the table, not caring he looked stupid just being there doing nothing.

"I heard he brought his boyfriend", the third one provided which got a gasp from the first, followed by "Lehnsherr's gay?", and "He's got a boyfriend?", from the other two, as if he they could never believe what they heard.

"Yes and yes", the third one agreed. "Oh my god! Who would ever want to date him? I mean, he's gotten better on the last few years, but.. the man looks like he's going to eat you alive when he smiles!", first man said. "Does he even smile, though?", the second one asked and Charles felt immediately bad.

Erik was being bullied. This was total workplace bullying and his boyfriend did not deserve it! He was a perfect gentleman, he was kind, funny, beautiful and gentle! This was why Erik had avoided coming, he didn't want Charles to hear what people said about him, probably didn't want to know himself how the rumours were like, and they were so very unfair!

The three laughed because of the smiling joke and afterwards, the second guy asked "Hey, I can't imagine someone would want to sleep with him!" - "I know, the man is scary!", the first one agreed but Charles couldn't hear anymore of it without interrupting.

"Actually… he is quite the tender lover. Very gentle and considerate, it's not easy finding a man who cares about your pleasure just as much as his", he said, wanting to set things straight for Erik. "Also, I bet if you did your work properly, he wouldn't be so scary", he defended his boyfriend, knowing he had to somehow pay him back for all those years only giving in to Charles' desires.

The three man immediately turned towards him, with wide eyes. He smiled slyly at them and introduced himself "Charles Xavier, Erik's boyfriend". The men started stuttering and scrambling for words, apologising since they probably didn't want their gossip to get to their scary boss' ear.

"Don't apologise", Charles raised a hand "I would like to hear more, go on. What else do you have to say about Erik? I would love to set it straight. Or perhaps you have any questions about him? I'd rather answer them than have you gossiping about what you don't know", he offered and the men looked at each other.

Turns out, they did have a lot of questions. And Charles answered each one of them.

"He has never raised his voice at me". "No, he's not violent". "He actually likes flowers, I always bring him lilies". "He likes cooking for me". "We watch romantic comedies together". "He doesn't have guns in the house". "He isn't a supervillain". "We've been together for four years". "I love him more than anything".

He would have even answered more, if it weren't for Erik's arrival. The men were quick to scatter and Charles smiled up brightly at his boyfriend. "What were you talking about?", Erik asked with suspicion and Charles shook his head "They were being nice, don't worry, love", he answered.

Then, they rolled towards an emptier place, Charles still balancing the plates on his thighs while Erik carried the drinks, once there, he held the plates and said "Grab my blanket, will you?", to which Erik frowned but did as he was told.

"Now, put it on the ground", he commanded and after Erik was done, he smiled coyly "Can you put me down?", he asked, knowing it was very unusual of him to ask to be carried in such a public place, where everyone would watch it for sure, but he wanted everyone to see how loving and caring Erik was, so if he had to sacrifice a little of his pride for it, he would.

"Are you sure?", his boyfriend checked and after Charles nodded, he placed the food on the ground and came closer, putting his arm underneath Charles' knees and the other one around his shoulder, both being quite used to this by now.

He was gently lowered to the ground and then adjusted his legs to the position he wanted them to be in, smiling at Erik. His boyfriend sat next to him and Charles pulled him in for a sweet kiss, loving how the other man seemed to forget about the others while they were together.

They ate while chatting to each other about this and that, Charles threw some grapes into Erik's mouth, letting them hit the man's nose and fall to his lap and kissed him more than once, to show everyone how very much he loved that man.

At some point, Raven arrived as well and joined them, followed by Emma and Azazel, they all occupying the small blanket and laughing with each other.

Despite his initial fear, he was quite happy he had made them come and he could see that Erik was enjoying himself after all. Charles was proud and content when they made their way home.

He ended up making sweet love to Erik in the afternoon, his boyfriend riding him in a lazy rhythm, making it last forever and Charles feel like they were only one. They rested their sweaty bodies next to each other and made silly conversation staring up at the ceiling.

"Is this enough to show you how happy you make me?", Erik murmured gently, coming closer and tracing Charles' shoulder with the tip of his nose, his scrub scratching Charles' skin and making him shiver. "I think another round will be enough to prove it", he said feeling adventurous. He couldn't get hard himself for a second round so soon, so he grabbed the pill from the drawer on the nightstand and swallowed it down when Erik came back with a glass of water.

"I love you, Erik", he breathed into his boyfriend's mouth when he was coming for the second time, who in return groaned and grabbed Charles' hips tighter saying the words back to him like a prayer.

* * *

The next day, he rolled inside his flat and removed his fingerless gloves, tossing them on the couch and rolling himself further in, going to look for Erik in their room. Oddly, his boyfriend was not there yet even if he came earlier than Charles, but perhaps, this was one of those days when he was late at work.

Charles went ahead and called for takeout, hoping Erik and the pizza would get there together and then put on a movie on their dvd player, planning on curling up on the couch with the other man and falling asleep with his head on his chest.

But when Erik came home, his expression was a completely unhappy one and Charles immediately worried something bad had happened, his smile falling off of his face. "Hey, what happened?", he asked going towards Erik, who shot him an almost hateful glare, making his heart clench.

"Erik?", he pressed, not bearing to not know what was going on. Erik shed his jacket and pulled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing those strong arms, which he crossed in front of his chest. "Would you care to tell me exactly what you babbled about with my coworkers?", he finally asked, voice cold.

"What are you talking about? You mean those men I was talking to on the barbecue?", he inquired and instead of answering, Erik merely lifted an eyebrow. "I… They were… saying some things that were not true and I set them straight", he explained almost weakly, wondering if he had made a mistake. Erik was rarely mad at him so even after four years, he didn't know how to deal with it when his boyfriend was the angry, disappointed one.

"Did you by any chance tell them I'm a romantic clown who makes tender love to you and then go smelling my lilies before cooking for you?", Erik asked, anger dripping from each word. "I.. no! That's not how I said it, Erik" - "Oh, really? Because people from the office seem to be under the impression I'm your loving wife", Erik snapped and started walking then, pacing from one side to the other.

Charles winced at that, having not ever heard that tone of voice being directed to him. That was how he knew, he had fucked up royally.

"Erik, sweetie, they were saying things that were so wrong and far from the truth! I just wanted to make them see you're not the monster they think you are!" - "Did you stop to think of what I wanted?", Erik accused, which brought Charles back to his previous fear of not thinking of Erik's feelings and what he wished.

"Did you think perhaps I like that they don't know who I am? I don't care about those people, Charles! If they fear me, they make their jobs well! They don't bother me!", he said angrily and Charles bit down on his bottom lip.

"Please calm down, Erik", he said in a lower voice and tried rolling a little closer, but Erik's glare stopped him in place. "I'm so sorry, love. That's not what I meant at all, I just wanted them to see what I see! To know the man I love so much! It wasn't fair to me that they were talking about you like that, that person isn't you at all", he tried apologising but he could see that at that point, Erik wasn't listening to reason.

The doorbell rang then and they both stopped, looking at the door. "I ordered pizza", Charles explained but it was like another cold bucket of water, seeing that he had ordered his favorite flavor instead of Erik's for a change.

His boyfriend walked right past him then, going towards their room while Charles rolled to the door and opened up, paying the man and taking the pizza to their kitchen, placing it on the table. At least, he thought, Erik had come home to work this out.

"Erik? Please come eat", he called out and went back to the living room, just in time to see Erik throwing his pillow there and a blanket they kept on their wardrobe. "What are you doing?", Charles asked in a low tone, and Erik answered without looking back at him "I'm sleeping here tonight".

Charles sighed, his chest aching terribly and asked "Will you please come eat? We can talk more about this, I'm truly sorry", trying once more to regain control, to install peace. He didn't like being in a fight with Erik and it was especially hard when the other man was the one holding a grudge.

"I'm not hungry", Erik murmured and Charles mourned the fact he couldn't even say it was Erik's favorite flavor to see if it convinced him to come and try eating. He went back to the kitchen and opened the box, getting a slice for himself, feeling incredibly sad and alone there. He was only able to swallow half of the piece down before he dropped it on his plate and gave up, his stomach not accepting anything else.

When he rolled back to the living room, Erik was lying down, just staring at the ceiling. Charles parked carefully next to him and reached out, putting his hand on Erik's shoulder, bending a little lower so that his chin could rest on the other man's chest.

"Please don't be like this. Don't leave me alone in the bed, hm. We'll fix this, I don't want you to be mad at me", he tried in a small voice, feeling so very terrible. Erik's day must have been hellish with his co workers making inappropriate comments and talking on his back.

They all sounded like children to Charles, so very immature! He had wanted them to see Erik was a good man, not for them to grow strong with that knowledge and think Erik was weak, think they could push him and not get punished in return.

"Too late for that", Erik said sarcastically. Charles' eyes filled with tears and he looked up, but Erik's eyes wouldn't meet his and he missed the warmth he always saw in them. It had never been this bad before.

"Erik-" - "I need space!", the other one snapped. The tears slipped out and Charles swallowed down a pained whimper. There was a heavy question in the air and he knew, he had to give the right answer. 'Can't you give me even that?'.

"Alright. Ok. Just… come to me when you want to talk. I love you, you know that, right?", he inquired but knew there would be no reply. He kissed the damp spot on Erik's shirt, wetted by his tear and pulled away, retreating to their room.

They had already slept separate like this before. But it always happened differently; Charles would throw a tantrum and leave the room, declaring he would sleep on the couch. Then, Erik would always convince him to take the bed instead, because it wasn't good for his back to spend the whole night on the couch. It usually melted him to the point he would get up one or two hours later, begging his boyfriend to just come to bed and hold him.

But this time, Erik had taken the step to sleep separately and it hurt Charles so very much. He wondered if it had always felt this lonely for the other man when he did that and he regretted those times, even if he knew he would probably do it again.

Charles didn't manage to sleep at all and before the sun came out, he left the room as silently as he could. Erik's eyes were closed and he was lying on his side, foot sticking out from under the blanket and neck bent in a way that seemed painful. He wanted to tell his boyfriend to go to bed, but he was sure that if he woke Erik now he wouldn't go back to sleep and would walk around like a zombie for the rest of the day.

He decided to cook breakfast, something he did everyday for them, and did this whole banquet with Erik's favorite foods, hoping that it would melt his boyfriend a little. He must have been noisier than he thought because even before the alarm clock went off, Erik dragged his feet inside the kitchen.

"Good morning", Charles said almost carefully and watched as Erik sat down, probably starving since the pizza was still whole inside their oven. "Morning", Erik answered without as much as their usual kiss and started pouring himself coffee.

"How did you sleep?", Charles asked, trying desperately to make conversation. "Fine", Erik shrugged but didn't ask the same thing back. Charles sighed and took his place across from his boyfriend, serving himself some pancakes. "Would you like to talk now?", he asked, because he wasn't about to let the bad mood hang over their heads, they'd better get it over with soon.

"I have nothing else to say", Erik commented, to which Charles narrowed his eyes "You obviously do, Erik. Please, let's try to make this better. I've apologised and I'll do it again if you want me to. I didn't meant for that to happen and you know it", he tried. "I know", Erik nodded and relief coursed through Charles' veins, but it was brief "Doesn't make me less angry", he completed, making Charles' heart sink to the ground.

"What can I do, Erik? Tell me, I'll do anything", he asked, wanting to know what was the key to defuse this bomb and just go back to what they were. "Nothing. As I said, I just need some space right now to cool off", his boyfriend answered and finished his coffee, pushing the chair back and standing up, without eating.

"Where are you going? You haven't eaten yet", he protested but Erik just shook his head "Not hungry right now", he said shortly and walked out the kitchen, going to the bathroom. Charles heard the water running and then Erik going through their wardrobe to get his clothes, but he was unable to move away from the table, just staring at all the food he had cooked.

It was only when he heard Erik shuffling through the living room that he got a grip on himself and grabbed a tupperware, filling it with food and putting a note on the inside, that read:

I'm truly sorry.

Have a nice day, my love.

Then, he went to Erik just in time to catch him before he left and stretched his arm to offer it. He bit on his bottom lip and looked at his boyfriend nervously, hoping to not be rejected.

Erik, thankfully, grabbed the tupperware and murmured a "Thanks", before leaving. It was only then, that the alarm clock beeped in their room. It was hurting him to think Erik was in such a rush to leave the house that morning.

* * *

Charles convinced himself that things would get better soon. Three days later, he wasn't so sure anymore. On the second morning, Erik had been better to deal with, but when he came back from work his mood was sour again and he went back to barely speaking to Charles and sleeping on the couch.

The routine was still the same; there was hope in the morning when they sat to eat together but that was completely crushed in the night when Erik came back from work, probably having been teased by the colleagues, which reminded him of how very mad he was at Charles.

Two days later, Charles was on the edge. His feelings were all mixed up together and he felt like he was going to die out of heartbreak, - a little dramatic, he knew, but Erik was his safe haven and their fights had never lasted longer than three days, tops. He was desperate and quite honestly up to doing anything Erik wanted from him.

He didn't go to work that friday, being too nervous about the whole thing. Erik hadn't touched him in five days, had barely greeted him or said goodbye, wasn't sleeping on their bed. He was feeling like this was the beginning of the end and he was not in the mood of going to work and breaking down in front of his students.

* * *

Five days after the barbecue and the gossip was finally starting to quiet down. Erik was the proud owner of a new record; four interns crying in five days. He wasn't even ashamed.

Those interns had made a shitty job and when he called them out on it, their comments had varied from "Relax, lover boy", to "I'll call Charles and we can settle this", so he had obviously lashed out to each one of them, showing them their places again.

It had taken five days, but peace, was finally restored. He didn't think people would ever look at him in the same way again, having seen how soft he was towards his boyfriend and knowing first hand how tender and caring he could be, but he had shown he could still be scary if needed and they were back to their places.

Things at home, though, weren't the same. Somehow, the easy forgiveness he always had for Charles wasn't showing up and he was with so much anger on his chest, that he could barely look at the other man. He knew, Charles hadn't done it on purpose, hadn't thought bad of it or even imagined that Erik's co-workers could react like that, but he thought Charles should have known better than to spill the juicy details.

He was a reserved man, and he thought that after four years his boyfriend would have noticed that Erik didn't open up to just anyone. In fact, he only ever opened up to Charles. He barely even talked to his mother about his feelings! And then Charles had gone and betrayed him, telling people about his secrets like that could be some sort of magical solution to a problem that didn't even exist.

It made him angry that Charles was doing his usual meddling, that he was taking control over that and trying to make it work the way he wanted it to. It wasn't surprising that his boyfriend was a bit of a control freak and Erik could even understand where it came from, but he had actually thought… he thought Charles would be considerate of his feelings, would know how he would feel about people knowing those intimate things about him. Apparently not.

When he reached home, he was still sulking on all those bad feelings, but something distracted him as soon as he stepped inside. Usually, he would get home before Charles but apparently that wasn't the case when he heard a sound coming from his bedroom. He approached it against his better judgment that was trying to remind him he was still angry, because he couldn't just hear Charles crying and not do anything about it. He did love that man with his whole heart after all.

He pushed the door open slowly and saw his boyfriend lying in bed, curled up on his side, eyes squeezed shut as he sobbed almost quietly. Erik's heart ached and he felt like a total ass not for the first time on those five days, but now it was worse because Charles was crying alone in bed and Erik had done that to him.

Erik stepped closer tentatively and when he was in front of Charles, his boyfriend's eyes snapped open. They stared at each other for what felt like forever but then the other man merely closed his eyes again and kept on crying.

He knew then, that he couldn't go on like this anymore, no matter how angry he was. So he sat on the bed and put a hand on Charles' hair, carding his fingers through it. The sob that escaped the man's throat was pained and loud, and Erik felt like crying himself even if he rarely did so.

"We should talk", he said gently, fighting off his own tears. It took a moment, but then Charles nodded weakly and let out a small "Okay".

He opened his eyes again and sat up in bed, trying to clean his face. Then, he looked at Erik with fear and just waited, the silence almost deafening.

When Erik spoke, his voice as a little shaky "I'm so angry, Charles", he started, watching the other man's expression crumble down. "I thought you knew me, you knew I'm a private person and don't open up to others. And instead, you thought you knew better and went on telling my colleagues all those intimate things! Things I only showed you", he said, the words almost freeing him after so long inside.

"Oh Erik", Charles sobbed, his whole body shaking. "I do know you. I do. I know I hurt you, I betrayed your trust but… I was only trying to h-help", he said miserably and Erik couldn't help but reach out and put a hand on Charles' calf. His boyfriend looked at it, acknowledging the touch even if he couldn't feel it.

"I know, Charles, but you had been so worried inside the car that you never think of me, that you don't respect me but still you went and did that", he said, trying not to sound so accusing, but he was just so tired after the long days at work and terrible nights at the couch, he just wanted to get his conversation over with and go back to normal. He was done being angry. He couldn't make Charles cry like that and not get over whatever it was that was keeping him away from his lover.

"I k-know", Charles nodded "God, Erik! I don't understand why you're still here, I… I'm terrible to you and you're just… If you leave, I… I won't hold it against you, it would make sense, you know, more sense than you staying with someone like me", his boyfriend said, still crying and Erik's heart broke in a thousand pieces.

It was terribly sad and also irritating that Charles would still think like that after four years, but maybe he was only having one of those doubt moments. Erik rather hoped this wasn't how Charles thought all the time.

He had changed so much after they met in the resort, had become more confident and stopped hating himself like that. Charles would go out without freaking out now and he would even talk to friends he used to have before the accident without feeling so self conscious. But sometimes, that little part of him showed again, so very insecure and scared. That was when Erik's role started.

He scooted closer and grabbed Charles' hands on his own, cradling them "Listen to me, Charles. I'm angry. You screwed up. Doesn't change the fact I love you", he explained, not even knowing he needed to reassure Charles about that. If he knew, he would have done it earlier.

His boyfriend shook his head, but Erik was having none of it. "I'm not walking away because of a silly fight. This is silly! I don't know why I'm so mad over it, because it's so stupid! I'm not walking away from you because of it, there is so little you could do that would make me leave you", he said and brought Charles' hands to his mouth, kissing them over and over again.

"I just… I have been the worst boyfriend", Charles said sounding like a small child. "You have been the best boyfriend, Charles. You prepare lunch for me to take to work. You always leave notes on the mirror when I'm on the shower. You take care of me when I'm sick. You sing for me when I can't sleep. You hold my hand when I'm scared. You leave the newspaper open on my favorite section. You buy things I run out of even without me noticing they are over. You prove your love to me everyday with little and big things, you make me so happy", he said and just like that, his anger dissipated completely. All he had just said was true and he shouldn't let an accident tear them apart like that.

"What do I have to do to show you that, hm?", he asked still speaking against Charles' hand "How can I prove to you that I'm not leaving you when things get rough?", his question was now mostly rhetorical because Erik had the answer.

"Marry me", he blurted out and Charles' eyes snapped up round and surprised. "W-What?", he stuttered, red mouth falling open in shock. "Marry me", Erik repeated "Because even when I'm angry at you, I still love you. I'm not going to bail on you and this is how committed I am, I want a lifetime with you. I want all of this, the fight, the making up, the day by day. Marry me and I'll spend the rest of our lives showing you that I love you even when I want to scream at you for being so adorably clueless", he finished his speech and he was actually smiling. He should have done this such a long time ago, but somehow, he had never gotten around to.

Perhaps it was because he already knew he and Charles were meant to be together, that they were never separating, that he had not taken the final step. To him, it was just a formality. But at that moment it was an important one, to show Charles how serious he was.

* * *

Charles had absolutely no words and he just kept staring at Erik. Had he just… proposed? While they were in the middle of a fight, while he was sleeping on the couch for five days in a row already?

He had been so unprepared for this that it rendered him speechless. Not in a bad way, but in a very good one.

Erik was unbelievable. Unbelievably perfect! That brilliant man sitting there and holding Charles' hands was so absolutely in love that it shone in his eyes even after four years and Charles could see it there.

Even while he was hurt and angry, he still wanted to marry Charles because he knew, they were going to fix whatever this was and anything that came afterwards, he knew, they were going to be together forever and he wasn't afraid to show it.

It suddenly seemed so very silly that he had ever been worried Erik wanted to leave him, that they wouldn't get over their stupid fight no matter what he did. Because he was in love with Erik and he wouldn't have gone down without kicking up a fuss and his boyfriend was just as smitten as he was, so really, there had been no different ending for their fight. Sure, maybe they could have made peace without a proposal but… Erik would end up proposing at some point anyways and it would all lead to one future. And it was a happy one.

And really, there was just one thing he could say to the question. So he threw himself at Erik and hugged him tight, bringing him closer to his body, his brain going crazy but one thought standing out 'he's not ever leaving'.

"I'm still hurt", Erik mumbled against his shoulder and Charles laughed lively, feeling happy and complete. "It doesn't matter, my love. I'll fix it. I'll spend my whole life fixing it whenever I screw up. Because I will, you know. Screw it up again", he said and it was Erik's turn to chuckle "I'll probably do the same", he said and turned his head, placing a kiss to Charles' cheek.

"Is that a yes?", he murmured coyly and Charles nodded so forcefully he almost banged their heads together. "Yes, God yes!", he said and pulled away just enough to press their lips together and start fixing it.


End file.
